


Say You Love Me

by Isabelscool2



Series: Riverdale: A New Era [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, All The Ships, Choni is adorable, Don't Kill Me, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Other, Sad, The marriage we all needed, bughead - Freeform, choni, falice - Freeform, love is love, varchie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-07-04 05:33:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15834765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isabelscool2/pseuds/Isabelscool2
Summary: It's seven years into the future. One of the most notorious couples in the small town of Riverdale are living their best lives. Cheryl, working as a self-help therapist, and Toni co-leading the Serpents alongside one of her best friends, Jughead Jones. Our little Juliet is now almost 10 years old, oh how the time flies. Her mother, Betty Cooper, is working at one of the biggest mechanic shops around. Everyone is back in Riverdale for the marriage of Cheryl and Toni. Will everything go to plan, or will it all be one big flop??





	1. Seven Years Later...

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!! I’m back with a new book! So this story takes place 7 years after Betty Cooper: 16 and Pregnant. We have all of the same characters and maybe finally the Falice relationship everyone wants?? Hmm?? Now this will have a lot of different POV’s, but will center mainly on Choni! I hope you guys enjoy!!

_Here lies the body of Hal Cooper. Father, Husband, Serial Murderer. He will forever be known as the infamous Black Hood, the man who wished to rid the town of sin, but only created more himself. May he burn in the dreary depths of Hell..._

* * *

**Cheryl POV:**

I stood over the grave of my odious uncle, Hal Cooper. It's been almost 10 years since he was killed, finally. I come to visit him every other week, but not for the sake of mourning. No, Toni, the Serpents, and I come to trash his grave. Jughead is always the most upset, even setting fire to the grave once, causing the dry, rotted grass to be engulfed in the bright orange flames. Other graves around it were damaged so he was arrested for the night, Betty having to bail him out. Betty is the only one of us who doesn't come, she can't bare to stand in front of his grave.

Seven years ago, we graduated. Seven years ago, Betty, Veronica, Archie, Jughead, and Juliet left for NYC for college. Seven years ago, Toni's grandfather died from stage 4 lung cancer. The oldest living Serpent, now dead. To say that Toni was upset would be an understatement. She didn't leave her trailer for almost three months. I felt helpless watching her succumb to the drug that is Jingle Jangle, getting high almost every day. Sweet Pea and I had to cut her off, but then she turned to alcohol to drown herself in the grief and depression she endlessly felt.

After a while, she got better. Now we live together at Thistle House. Nana Rose died about two years ago, she was incredibly old, being almost 105 at the time of her death. I took her death hard, being that she was one of the only people in my family who loved me besides Betty and Polly. But instead of turning to alcohol and drugs, I turned to the Serpents, my second family. They helped me slowly ease out of my dark phase and stand in the light of the town, becoming Riverdale's most popular self-help therapist. 

Betty and Jughead moved back about three years ago, right after college. Jughead reclaimed his rightful position as King, even promoting Toni as his Co-King. Betty remained as the Serpent Queen, and even got a job at one of the biggest car and bike mechanic shops in Riverdale, now managing it. Juliet is almost 10 years old, and is about to go into fifth grade. It's almost summer for her, so Toni and I took her to get a cute last-day-of-school outfit. She's always been a little rebel, wearing her Serpent Jacket almost everyday. She eventually grew out of her baby one, so Jughead got her a dark purple one for her birthday every other year. It's her favorite color, she wears it almost everyday.

Veronica and Archie stayed in New York, Archie opening a gym and Veronica going to Broadway. Her first role was as Eponine in Les Miserables, which earned her a Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Kevin and Moose got engaged about a year ago and moved down there too. They got married about a month ago, the wedding was pristine. Lavender silk draped from the roofs of the dining hall, white daffodils in crystal vases centered each table. They were married on a beach in the Bahamas.

So that's where we are now. I was just beginning to brush my knotted hair when I got a call from Jughead. I answered it and put the call on speaker. "What's up, Jug?" I asked, going back to brushing out my hair. 

"Hey Cheryl, can you watch Juliet tonight? I'm taking Betty out on a date. Eight years ago I proposed, so I'm taking her ice skating." He said, his voice showing he was smiling. I awed and put a hand to my cheek.

"Jug! Like the same place you proposed?! That's so cute! Of course I'll watch Juliet tonight. Go get laid." I laughed, putting my silver brush down and heading to my closet.

"I'll try. Thank's Cheryl!" He laughed, hanging up. Shaking my head, I opened my closet and pulled out some clothes.

Dressing, I walked to my full length mirror and stared. I wore a black crop top, black shorts with fishnets, and my red jacket. Topping it off with some red pumps, I touched up on my lipstick and walked to the kitchen. There I found Toni, a steaming hot cup of coffee in her hands, Slither playing on the laptop in front of her. It's her favorite movie, she's kind of obsessed with gross shit like that. I snuck up behind her and screamed into her ear. She didn't even move. Pouting, I walked to the coffee pot and poured a cup.

"How did I not scare you?" I asked, fake disappointment present on my face. She laughed and paused her movie just as the giant lady exploded. 

"Babe, I'm gonna give you a lesson on how to scare people. One, don't scare me because you know it won't work. Two, don't scare people when there is a reflective object in front of them. And finally, three, I could hear you. So I guess four could be to not wear heels." She smirked and stood, walking up to me and kissing my lips. I grinned and hugged her side, walking to the couch. "What's the plan for today?"

"I'm leaving in a few to pick up Juliet. Jug's gonna get laid tonight." I chuckle. Toni walked to join me on the couch, snuggling into my side. I grabbed the remote and turned on the Today Show. 

"Good for him. It's been a while." I looked to her in shock, confusion spreading quickly across my pale face.

"How would you know that??" I asked, my mouth agape. She used her hand to close it, but failing as it opened right back up again.

"He's always complaining at the Wyrm. Betty finds it entertaining, but I kind of just feel bad for the guy." 

"Jesus, that's sad. But they have a kid, it's gotta be hard to "Do It" with a kid always around."

"She's almost ten! She has friends, right? They could fuck while she's there!" Toni looked confused, but I knew everything. No one wanted to be Juliet's friend, they're scared that she's the Serpent Princess. Juliet copes by writing, and she does a damn good job at it! She takes after her dad, who has published about four books so far.

After writing his second book about the Black Hood, he decided to go on a different path. He wrote a book about Riverdale, its history, its cultures, its timeline. All of the attacks were composed into one, long, 400 page book. He called it the Town with Pep, which is ironic giving that he wrote the book exposing Riverdale for its sins. The book sold over 50,000 copies in the first day. He managed to get enough money to buy an actual house for his family, leaving New York for Riverdale. They've been here ever since, making hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.

 "Well, I have to get ready to pick-up my little niece! Bye baby!" I smiled, kissing her cheek. She grinned and resumed her movie, turning her back to me. I went to the play area of Thistlehouse, a confined space I had made for Juliet to play in whenever she would come over. Inside, she had expensive barbies, a vanity with makeup, a homework station, and a PS4. Jug and Betty were mad that I spoiled her, but Juliet loved it, so that's all that matters. They got over it soon enough, she needed a space to play in! I watched her like three times every week because they both had work. But believe me, I'm not complaining, I love my Juliet time! 

After cleaning up a bit, I made my way to my cherry red Range Rover. It was a gift from Nana Rose for my 18th birthday. It's my most prized possession, well, besides my jacket and my girl. I pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive to Betty and Jug's house. 

As I pulled into the driveway, I took a big long look at the house. They've had this house since Juliet was about five or six. You'd think that since they were basically rich, they would have a grand house with marble stairs and birch walls, full length windows surrounding the home, but no. No, they live in a small house a block away from Betty's childhood home. They live normal lives, and I've always loved that about them.

I walked up the stairs of the Jones's house and walked right in. They have soon come to realize that I don't knock. It's not my forte. I approached the living room they all sat at and turned off the TV. Betty smiled, but Jughead looked like he saw a ghost.

"Wh-what? No, Cheryl, WHY?!" He gasped, jogging to the TV, looking at it like a lost puppy.

"Am I missing something?" I asked confused, looking to the helpless man-child stroking the TV with his open palm. Betty laughed and walked up to hug me.

"He was about to order the last copy of the new Goosebumps book, when we could be doing other things..." She looked to Jug with annoyed eyes, but he looked sad. Yea, he's totally not getting laid tonight.

"Okay, well sorry Donnie Darko. I'm gonna grab Juliet, where is she?" 

"She should be in her room. If not, then probably pooping." 

I laughed and headed upstairs to Juliet's room. There, I found her crying on her bed, a picture of her and Lucas in her hand. Lucas is her childhood best friend, Josie and Reggies son. I frowned and headed to her shaking side.

"Juliet, baby? What's wrong?" I asked, moving her sweaty hair out of her face. She looked at me with a look of grief and anger, I couldn't tell which one it was. Maybe both?

"Lucas is moving away next week." She sobbed, throwing herself into my arms. I held her tight as she cried, her hands clutching into small fists, a habit she got from her mother. The paper began to crumple, so I replaced it with my hand instead. I remember Josie telling me that they were moving, I guess I never really thought about how it would affect Juliet.

"Baby... it will be oka-"

"No it won't!" She screamed, slamming her fist into the mattress. Betty and Jug rushed into the door, looks of worry plastered on their faces. "Lucas is my only friend here! I'm gonna have no one when he leaves!"

"That's not true, Juliet. You'll still have us." I tried to reason with her, I really did, but she wasn't having it. She looked to her mom sadly, my cue to leave and let her talk to Betty. I kissed her head and gave her a tight squeeze. I shot Betty a small smile, walking out to talk to Jug. He looked terrified.

"What the hell's going on?" He asked, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his worn Serpent Jacket.

"Lucas is moving. Juliet's devastated." I sighed, pressing one hand to my temple. I was expecting for today to be a chill day with my two girls, but now I'm gonna have to deal with the repercussions of Juliet's sadness. It's gonna be a long night.

"So Josie and Reggie are leaving too?" He asked, the sad look on his face from earlier growing deeper. I rolled my eyes at him.  _Is he serious?_

"Well, I don't think they would just leave their son alone. Also Josie told me about a month ago." He looked at me, a new look present on his face. Anger, distrust. I was scared for a minute.

"You knew?! And you didn't think to tell us?! We could have helped Juliet!" He yelled. He was seething, Betty came walking out, placing a hand on his cheek. He looked to her and visually deflated. Their love is that strong, sometimes I wonder how she does it to him. He turned to face me again. "Why didn't you tell us?" 

"I thought they would have told you guys already! And I'm sorry, I didn't think how it would affect Juliet!" I said, pointing a finger to Jughead crudely. He had no right to treat me like that, no right.

"Cheryl, it's fine. Jug calm down." Betty said staring him down. She could tell by Jughead's looks that he wanted the best for his daughter, but Cheryl kept a secret from everyone, gracing Juliet with a feeling of sadness and betrayal. Betty could tell that by looking in his eyes, it was powerful. Their love for each other was basically radiating off of their bodies. 

"Cheryl, you have to talk to Juliet, tell her you knew... try to calm her-"

"No need, dad. I heard everything." A voice said through the door. I looked to see a broken Juliet, her picture with Lucas back in her hand.

"Juliet, I-" I started, but she waved her hand in my face to stop me.

"Save it. I just want to be alone right now." She walked back into her room, Jughead following her. If anyone could help her out of her funk, its Jug.    

"Juliet! Wha... oh good lord." Betty exasperated. She looked so stressed, tired. "I'm sorry, Cheryl."

"No please! I should have said something..." 

"Auntie Cheryl?" Juliet asked, tugging at me hand.

"Juliet Jones, I'm so sorry." I said, crouching down to meet her open arms.

"It's okay, I still love you!" She sadly smiled. I rubbed her head and kissed her cheek. She giggled and went back into her room. She came back out with her black backpack and blanket. "I'm ready to go!"   

"Alrighty! Go get into the car, I'll meet you there!" As she skipped off, I peeked into her room. Jughead was on her bed, his phone illuminating with messages from Reggie. They were probably talking about Juliet and Lucas. I joined him at his side on the bed, placing my hands in my lap, my head hanging down. "I'm sorry, Jug."

He looked to me sadly and tossed his phone onto the pillow. He was conflicted. He lay back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head. "I just hate seeing her upset, you know? She's my little girl..."

I frowned at him, reaching for his phone as another text from Reggie popped up on the screen. 

"You're in a real unhealthy relationship with this dude." I laughed. He grunted and took the phone back. "So, we good?" 

"I was never mad at you, Cheryl. Just confused. You're fine, we're all fine."

I smiled and patted his shoulder. I made my way out of the house, but not before reminding Betty to wear the lingerie set she got for Jughead. She was gonna need it. I hugged Betty, who was on the porch talking to Mr. O'neil, her old neighbor, and got into the car. We pulled out and began to head back to Thistlehouse. The music was up all the way on the Broadway station, Juliet belting the lyrics to Don't Cry for Me Argentina from  _Evita_. She's a talented singer, always talking about how she wants to be on Broadway like her Auntie Veronica.

As we pulled up to the house, I caught sense of a loud ruckus coming from inside. Confused, I opened the door, Juliet behind me, and looked to find Toni in the kitchen, a bloody hand towel around her hand. Concerned, I ran up to her and instantly took her hand in mine, not caring about the blood getting all over the tiles. Juliet looked scared, but knew what to do, running to grab the first aid kit. 

I looked to Toni who had hot tears pouring out of her eyes. "What happened?"

"I..I tried to make you din..ner.... But I cut my thumb. Stupid fucking crab." She tried to giggle, but it came out as a heavy sob, her body too tired, too drained of blood to keep standing. She fell onto her back, I rushed to her side as her head hit the marble floors. Juliet came jogging back, immediately bursting into tears at the sight of her aunt.

"Juliet, call 911!" I yelled, pressing a fresh towel to Toni's deep gash. She had lost a lot of blood, and seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness. 

Around five minutes later, the paramedics arrived and drove Toni away. I stayed behind to get things for me and Juliet, to change our clothes. As we drove to the hospital, my stress level was as high as can be, my knuckles turning white from how tight I was holding onto the wheel. Juliet leaned her head on my shoulder as we drove in an uncomfortable silence. 

We soon arrived at the hospital, walking straight into the ER. I walked up to the receptionist and pointed Juliet to the children's area. "Antoinette Topaz."

"Right over there. She's been asking for you." She said, pointing me to a bed, a crying Toni perched upon it. It looked as if a doctor was giving her stitches. I began to make my way over, being careful to not scare the doctor.

"Baby, how are you holding up?" I asked, letting her squeeze my hand.

"How do you think? I was planning a nice night for you and I, but I ruined it." She looked devastated, like she's messed everything up in the world. It killed me to see her like that.

"Baby, you didn't ruin anything. You could never-"

"Auntie Toni!!" Juliet screamed from behind me. I turned around to see her running up to the bed. "Can I sit up there?"

"Only if you let me snuggle you." Toni tried to crack a smile. I rubbed Juliet's hair as she climbed onto the bed. Toni instantly drew her free arm around the small nine year old. I stood behind the two and drew us into a group hug, soft, delicate tears dropping from my eyes.

"You really scared me, Tones." I sniffled. She frowned and kissed me, her own tears mixing with mine.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Stop apologizing! You did nothing wrong! I'm glad you're okay." I sighed, frustrated that she continued to hate on herself. 

"I love you so much."

"I love you too." I kissed her salty lips and laid my head in the crook of her neck. I quickly sent a text to Betty to let her know of what had happened. 

We laid in the bed, a sleeping Juliet between us, the weight of the world finally off of Toni's shoulders. I lifted my head to hers and kissed the corner of her mouth, she looked down at me and smiled, a halo practically glowing atop her head.    

"She's perfect." She said, looking down to Juliet, who was softly snoring between us. "I can't wait to have a family of our own."

"Me too." I sighed, brushing the hair out of Juliet's face.

"Baby?"

I looked to her. "Yeah?"

"Will you marry me?" She looked to be on the verge of tears, as was I. 

It was unexpected, yet, perfect. Of course my answer would be, "Yes."


	2. Ripples in Time

_"Baby?"_

_I looked to her. "Yeah?"_

_"Will you marry me?" She looked to be on the verge of tears, as was I._

_It was unexpected, yet, perfect. Of course my answer would be, "Yes."_

* * *

**Betty POV:**

 

"Holy shit, Cheryl! It's about time!" I grinned. She was getting married! My day couldn't have gotten any better.

"I know! I've been pestering her about if for a while, and now it's finally happening!" She was glowing. She had no ring, but I knew she didn't care.

"I'm so happy for you-"

"Betty! I need taco seasoning!" Jug called from the kitchen. He insisted on making dinner since he was too sad to have sex the other night. He's still worked up over that stupid Goosebumps book.

"Sorry, Cheryl. Be right back!" I smiled at her and got up to help Jughead. "Baby, it's right here-" I started, but was cut off by his arms wrapping around my waist. I giggled as he kissed my neck. "Baby, did you actually need taco seasoning?"

"Yes, but I also wanted to cuddle you." I turned to his blushing face, kissing his small dimples. 

"You can cuddle me more later, Cheryl's over." I laughed, kissing his lips quickly before walking away.

"I love you!" He shouted from the kitchen. I smiled and sat back down by Cheryl.

"Sorry 'bout that. When do you guys want to get married?" 

"Well I was thinking-"

 "Mommy, mommy! Lucas is leaving soon, we gotta hurry!" Juliet screamed from the top of the stairs. Her hair was messy and out of her pigtails, her dress wrinkled.

"Honey, what the hell happened to you?" I asked, shocked at the sight of my dirty daughter.

"I went rolling down the hills with Coliepie!" Coliepie is Juliet's other best friend. She is Chuck and Ethel's daughter. After high school, they fell in love and had a child born out of wedlock. They broke up when she was two, giving Chuck full custody. Ethel became an alcoholic, leaving Chuck as the only suitable parent for Coliepie. 

"Ugh, you're a fucking mess!" I groaned, walking up to the stairs. Juliet frowned at me, I rarely cussed around her, but I've been really moody lately.

"Betty!" Jughead said bewildered. I looked to Juliet, tears beginning to form in my eyes.

"I-I..." I ran up the stairs to my room, slamming the door right as Jughead was about to get in.

"Baby talk to me..." He sighed. I heard him slide his body to the floor, his head resting against the door. I did the same.

"I don't know what's wrong with me Jug. I'm tired, moody, nauseous.... I haven't felt this way since-"

"Betty let me in." I opened the door for him. He engulfed me in his arms as I cried into his shoulder. I knew the possible outcome of this situation, but it's been almost ten years since I've had Juliet, we've been safe.

"I'm scared, Juggie." I sighed after a while, wiping my stray tears away.

"We'll get through it, Betts. Hey, look! We don't even know if you're-" He was interrupted by cries coming from the living room. We both looked to each other and made our way downstairs.

When we were in sight of the living room, I tried to spy on what the commotion was. I managed to catch a sneak peak, spotting Juliet and Lucas clutching onto each other, soft cries escaping both of their little mouths. Fresh tears began to make their way to my eyes, I looked to Jughead, but he was already crying.

"Promise me that you'll call me everyday!" Juliet sniffled, her hands intertwined with his. 

He looked to her sadly and nodded, moving his arms so that they were around her neck. "Love you Jules."

"Love you too, Lucaster." My heart swelled hearing their nicknames for each other. I turned to look at Josie, who was crying to herself, her small figure wrapped up in Reggie's arms. She managed to catch me looking so her and Reggie started to come toward us, to leave the kids alone for a bit.

"It's gonna be weird without all of you guys." Josie sighed, pressing her head in the crook of Reggie's neck. I pulled at Josie, engulfing her in my arms. We both began to cry to each other, our clutches growing tighter by the second.

During high school, Josie transferred to James Madison High in DC, that was when I was five months pregnant. Apparently she was pregnant too, almost three months behind me. The kids grew up together, Juliet only five months older than Lucas. It was a beautiful thing, watching their friendship blossom.

"We're gonna miss you so much." I frowned, clutching onto Josie's hand. Finally, it was time to say our goodbyes. I walked to the living room, Juliet looking to me, already knowing of the news. I walked up to Lucas and hugged him tightly. "We love you, Lucas. Come by this summer." I kissed his forehead and wiped his tears away.

"I love you, Mrs. Jones." He gave me a quick hug and moved to Jughead. Josie and Reggie said their goodbyes to Juliet as well.

"See you soon, bro." Jughead sighed, hugging Reggie and Josie.

"Bye, Reg." I sighed. "Please come down this Christmas or summer, we would all love that."

"Of course, Betty." We hugged quickly and motioned to our kids to say goodbye.

"I have something for you, Juliet." Lucas sniffled, pulling out a little box. "Mom helped me pick it out."

Juliet went for her pocket right after, pulling out an envelope. "I got you something too."

They handed each other the gifts. I had no idea what Juliet got Lucas. I looked to Jughead. He looked just as confused as me.

Juliet opened the small box, a silver locket with purple crystals sat inside. My heart swelled as fresh tears came to Juliet's eyes. 

"What's inside, baby?" I asked her. She opened the locket and walked up to show me. Inside was a picture of the two on one side, and on the other side it was engraved with a small "I love you! ~ Lucaster." I smiled and rubbed Lucas's shoulder.

Lucas opened the envelope and pulled out a big picture of the two of them, hand sketched by Juliet. It was beautiful, and Lucas began to softly cry. They clutched onto each other. We let them stay like that for a bit before Josie spoke up. "Time to go, Lucas." 

Juliet chased them out of the house. Lucas threw his head out his car door window and screamed a big fat "I love you!" Juliet did the same. Then, they were gone. Juliet looked too emotionally drained to cry anymore tears. Jug picked her up just as he always did, carrying her into the living room. I went and grabbed the two ice cream and turned on a movie. 

"Jug?" I whispered into his ear. His hair tickled beneath my chin as he muttered a hm. "I have to go to Pop's, to talk to Cheryl."

"Okay, we'll be here." I smiled at him and kissed his lips. Quickly kissing Juliet's head, I made my way to the car and to Pop's.

When I got to Pop's, I walked inside and to the counter, a giddy Pop Tate meeting my eye. "Hi, Betty! How are you?"

"Not great. Josie, Reggie, and Lucas just left. Juliet is devastated." Pop put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Awe, I'm sorry Betty. Why don't you go sit and I'll get you you're usual?" 

"Sure, and can you also make Cheryl's?"

"Coming right up!"

I smiled to myself and made my way over to my usual booth. I called Cheryl on the way to the diner and promised to get her usual. Just as the food was being set down, Cheryl sashayed through the door. I smiled sadly and stood to hug her. She frowned and hugged me tight.

"Sorry I'm late. Was saying bye to Josie and the others."

"They stopped by my place about an hour ago." I took a sip from my milkshake, a hand pressing to my heart. "I'm so fucking sorry. I ruined your day and I literally hate myself for how I acted around you."

She smiled softly and took my hand. "It's okay, Betty. You seemed on edge from the moment I arrived. What's up?"

"Don't tell anyone, Cheryl. Only Jug knows. And I don't even know if I am."

"What? If you're what? Betty it's okay, tell me."

I looked to her and sighed. "Pregnant."

She studied my face, the realization setting in. "Oh my god it all makes sense now!"

"You think I am too??" I shook my head, Cheryl's smiled growing every second. 

"Well it's about time anyways!" She giggled. "Oh, cousin! This is awesome!"

"Like I said, I don't even know yet."

"Well, I think you are."

"Okay Cheryl, let's keep talking about this wedding of yours. When will it be?"

"I've always wanted a winter wedding. And I want to fly everyone out. It's been years."

"I think that's a great idea, but Cheryl, Christmas is right around the corner. Two months away to be exact. Halloween is literally tomorrow!"

"I know. We have the money to get it done and I kept my mom's dress. I just have to get it styled my way. We want to get married in Sweetwater Forest. Let's just say that marriage talk has come up before."

I smiled at my cousin and took a bite of my sandwich. Her body was radiating with joy and excitement.

"I'm so happy for you, Cheryl." I sighed, my icy cold milkshake making contact with my warm hands.

"Me too. But enough about me! Let's talk about how you're pregnant!" She clapped her hands and laughed.

I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone, a sign to tell her to drop it.

"We can get you a test on the way home and-"

"No, Cheryl! I'm doing this with Jug. I was alone last time. he deserves to be there." My voice went quiet, my nerves and fears pouring from my eyes, little droplets of tears falling into the remains of my dinner.

 "Okay, okay, I understand. Still, you could be. But don't be scared. You did an awesome job with Juliet and you were 16!" I could tell she was helping. I should be doing that with her. 

"Yeah and she got kidnapped!" I laughed sarcastically. Cheryl rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair.

"That wasn't your fault and you know it. Do you even want a kid?" 

"I don't know. We weren't trying. The condom just broke."

"We'll get through this, okay?" 

I looked at her confused. "We?"

"But of course, since I am the next godmother of the baby you are DEFINITELY having!"

I giggled and sipped my shake. "Thanks, Cheryl. Now, let's talk wedding plans."

We chatted for another hour before Jughead texted me. He got me a test and said to come home and that it was late and such. So I hugged Cheryl goodbye and made my way to the car. As I was driving home, I began to feel nauseous. I pulled over to the side of the road and as anyone in my situation would expect, threw up my entire dinner. Stressed, I continued to drive.

As I reached the dimly lit doorstep of my house, my nerves began to take over, endless thoughts running through my mind.  _We would have to move. Would Juliet want a new sibling? Would I want another kid?_ I would have kept thinking of the worst, but Jug thankfully came out to the car to help me. He opened my door and engulfed me in his arms, many of my worries leaving my mind. I've always loved how he could do that to me. 

"Juliet is asleep. She's really upset." Jug sighed, running a hand over his tired face. 

"It will all be okay, Juggie. I'm gonna spend some quality time with her tomorrow. But for now..." I drew a deep breath in. "Let's get some answers."

He looked confused. "Answers?"

I laughed and kissed his lips. "Wow, are you really that tired that you don't remember why I bolted home??"

"Guess so. You still love me, though."

"Yeah, you're right."

We made our way inside, making sure to be quiet so Juliet wouldn't wake up. As we approached the master bathroom, I began to cry again, all my dark thoughts returning to my mind.

"Baby, it will be okay." Jughead squeezed my arm and handed me the box. "Do you want me to wait in our room?"

"Please?" I wiped the tears from my eyes and began to open the box.

"Alright. I love you, Betts." He cupped my cheek as I leaned into his arms. 

"I love you too, Juggie."

He left the room and I sat on the toilet. My hands fumbled with the box as they were shaking profusely. I pulled out a test and began to do my... stuff. Once done, I capped the test, placed it upside down on the counter, and washed my hands. Trying to be funny, I flicked the remaining water from my hands on Jughead. He rolled his eyes and opened his arms for me. I sat onto the bed and lay with him, my nerves easing with the minutes.

"How much longer?" He asked, running his fingers through my blonde locks.

"About three more minutes." I sighed and snuggled deeper into his side. "I'm scared, Juggie."

"Me too. But it will all be okay. Let's get these results."

Shaking, I made my way off the bed and into the bathroom. I grabbed the test and sat back on the bed, Jug wrapping his arms around my waist.

"You ready?" I asked nervously. He nodded his head. Kissing his lips one last time, I flipped the test around. And there, right before our eyes, a little blue plus sign. The next stage in our life was revealed. I was pregnant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I honestly feel bad for Juliet, but I think their goodbye was so cute! Who knows, maybe we'll have a little Jucas ship soon?? Hmmmm? Also, yes Betty is pregnant, but the story if still gonna revolve around Choni more often. I wanted to do something different with this one, so that's why I added the multiple viewpoints. Well, anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Be sure to comment and leave kudos if I should continue! Alrighty, bye guys!!


	3. Some Things Never Change

"How much longer?" He asked, running his fingers through my blonde locks.

"About three more minutes." I sighed and snuggled deeper into his side. "I'm scared, Juggie."

"Me too. But it will all be okay. Let's get these results."

Shaking, I made my way off the bed and into the bathroom. I grabbed the test and sat back on the bed, Jug wrapping his arms around my waist.

"You ready?" I asked nervously. He nodded his head. Kissing his lips one last time, I flipped the test around. And there, right before our eyes, a little blue plus sign. The next stage in our life was revealed. I was pregnant.

* * *

 

**Toni POV:**

 

The Wyrm seemed to be extra busy today. Extra... strange. Honestly the strangest thing was how Fangs wouldn't stop giving "fuck me" eyes to every gay serpent in the bar. Yeah, Betty and Jug couldn't stay away from each other, but that was normal. I just tried to stay focused on the task at hand, finding the perfect drink combo to serve at the wedding. I like rum, Cheryl likes tequila, so I've gotta find a combo for both. I'd ask Betty or Jug, but they're being super clingy with each other. Fangs is too horny to help. Finally, as I thought I may give up, I saw someone who was a whiz when it came to mixing drinks. 

"Kevin!" I called out. Kevin had flown in to visit with Moose once they herd of Cheryl and I's engagement. They've been staying at Thistlehouse with us, and it's been absolutely amazing. Kevin walked up to the bar with a big smile, Moose's hand in his. 

"Toni, what's up?" He asked, cocking his head in a goofy manner. Was he....

"Babe, I'm tired [hiccup] take me home." Moose whined. Yep they were totally drunk. Perfect!

"Well since it's obvious you two are drunk, I'll just ask someone else." They looked at me confused, then broke out into a continuous fit of giggles. "I'm calling you two an Uber."

"Thanksssssss [hiccup] Toni." Kevin slurred. Damn, he just had a way with words didn't he?

"No problem, dude, just go home and rest." I ordered the Uber for the two drunk lovers and made my way over to Betty. "Betty, I need your help."

"Sure Toni, what's up?" Her arms were linked around Jughead's neck as they just stood there cuddling. 

"I need a signature drink for the wedding, and I can't find a good pair for rum and tequila." Immediately, Jughead and Betty turned to each other and shared a look. I coughed, trying to end their little 'staring contest'. Jug looked at me and moved towards the bar.

"I'll help." He kept his eyes on the bar, and I looked to Betty, who was leaving for upstairs.

I yanked Jughead to the side and whispered, "What the fuck is going on here?" 

"Nothing, I just want to help. Betty was complaining about being tired so she's gonna nap upstai-"

"She's pregnant, is she?" I deadpanned. His face softened, then went hard. He pulled me into the storage room, his grasp on my arm tight.

"Tell anyone and you'll regret it." He said sternly. 

"So she is?" I asked yanking my arm from his grasp.

"Yes."

My began to smile and move to hug him. He was rigid at first, but then grew into the hug, small chuckles escaping from his body. 

"Why so stern, then?" I asked.

"No one knows. Cheryl has suspicions, but we're not ready to share the news. Sorry about that though, we just weren't expecting that."

"Neither was I." I laughed, slapping his arm playfully. "You know you can trust me."

"I know that. Thank you, Toni. Now let's go make these drinks." 

We managed to make a really good margarita with a sugar-rum syrup on the edge. They looked beautiful and tasted just as good. By closing time, people were either passed out or gone, so I got off pretty easy with closing up. On my way out, I heard some grunting and cries coming from the alley. Curious, I walked over to see a bloody Moose crying over an unconscious Kevin. Terrified, I ran over to them, taking Kevin from Moose's arms. 

"What happened?" I asked, grabbing my phone to call 911.

"Our fucking Uber driver was a pervy douche. Tried to get his hands on me. Kevin, bless his heart, stepped in and fought the guy. He got Kevin down and punched me before he drove off, throwing us out." He was crying hard now into my neck. 

"Oh... my god." The operator answered. "Hi, 911, yeah my friends were jumped by their Uber driver. Yeah, we're at the Wyrm. Thank you! Moose, they're coming."

"Thank you, Toni. Thank you!!" He repeated. 

We waited about five minutes before the paramedics arrived. They wheeled Kevin into the back of the ambulance, Moose never letting go of his hand even as he climbed in. I decided to stay back and call the others, let them know of what happened. 

"Pick up, pick up!" I hurried. If she didn't pick up I didn't know what I would do.

"Toni, hey." Betty said on the other line. 

"Betty grab Jug and Juliet and head over to Riverdale General." 

"Oh my god, Toni, what the fuck happened??" Worry was present in her voice, being that she has known many of her friends since birth. She always worries for them.

"Kevin and Moose were jumped by their Uber driver. Moose is gonna be okay, just some bruises and scars. Kevin, though, was bleeding like crazy when the paramedics arrived. They don't know whether or not he'll make it." My voice started to get shaky as I felt tears prick my eyes. Betty immediately sprung into superhero mode.

"I'm on my way. I'll stop and get coffee before I arrive, alright? Call everyone else. Even Archie and V. They should be flying in next week, they deserve to know. And for christs sakes, call their dads! I'm coming!" God bless Betty, always coming in to save our asses. 

After I made the calls to everyone else, I began to make my way to the hospital. When I got there, the entire waiting room was filled with our friends. Betty came rushing in right after me, bags filled with coffee in her arms. Jughead's hand was in hers, Juliet in the other. 

"Where's uncle Kevin!" Juliet cried. My heart broke for her. Kevin was by far one of her top three favorite uncles. Betty would later tell me that Juliet almost tried to hide away in her room after she heard the news, Jug being able to finally talk through to her. 

Betty placed down the big bags of coffee and immediately went to me. She clutched onto me, I felt safe. 

"Any news yet?" She asked finally letting me go, cups of coffee in her hands.

"Moose is fine. We haven't heard anything on Kevin yet." I sighed, pressing a hand to my tired face. Betty handed me a cup of coffee and rubbed my arm, heading off to go see the others. Jug came up to me and held me for a minute, Juliet softly crying beside him. I knelt down and scooped Juliet in my arms. 

"He isn't gonna die, is he, Auntie?" She was sobbing now, her hot tears bleeding through the cotton of my shirt. 

"I don't know, sweetie. Just know that however he is right now, he is thinking of you. I know it." I kissed her forehead and went off to find my fiance. She was talking to Sweet Pea and Sheriff Keller. 

"I just don't understand why we don't have any answers yet." I heard her mutter. Sheriff's face was hard, Sweet Pea's tired. 

"Baby, hey." I kissed her and went to go hug Sheriff Keller. 

"Toni, I want to personally thank you for calling 911 when you did. I think he make it out of this one. He's a strong boy, my kid." He choked, wiping his eyes with his thumb. I smiled to myself and squeezed Cheryl tighter. 

"Are you okay, TT?" She asked. I thought to myself,  _was I_? I mean, Kevin may make it out of this, but what if I had just driven them home instead? Then they would have been completely fine. "TT?" Cheryl asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Wha-oof, sorry guys, just thinking." I said quickly. 

"Keller-Mason?" We all perked up to the sound of the doctor. Juliet went running to the front, even beating out Sheriff. 

"Where's my uncle?" She demanded. 

"Juliet!" Betty scolded, then softened, a single tear slipping from her eye.

"Mr. Keller is going to be okay. Now he did have some internal bleeding, due to the force of his assault. But while that is okay news, he does will have a permanent limp in his right leg. We will be providing physical therapy and a counselor, but it isn't something you have to do, while recommended." I felt my heart break into a million tiny pieces. 

"I have his Uber Drivers info in case you need it." I said, all eyes turning to me. 

"I'll take care of that, thanks, Toni." Sheriff Keller sighed. 

"He is awake though, and was asking for you I presume." He eyed Juliet, who was literally bouncing on her heels. I looked to her thinking,  _told you so_. 

"What room?" She asked, preparing to run. 

"309" He smiled. She took off, Betty and Jughead following closely behind. 

Things may have not worked out the way we wished, but they were alive, and that's all that mattered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! Halloween is done! So next I was thinking that we would move onto Thanksgiving, and then after that the wedding... if possible. But something big is coming next chapter. (Spoiler alert. MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!) Don't hate me, I know I put Keving through hell in this one, but I at least hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. If you did then please leave Kudos and comment so I can continue. Alrighty, bye guys!!


	4. Can't Save You

_"He is awake though, and was asking for you I presume." He eyed Juliet, who was literally bouncing on her heels. I looked to her thinking, told you so._

_"What room?" She asked, preparing to run._

_"309" He smiled. She took off, Betty and Jughead following closely behind._

_Things may have not worked out the way we wished, but they were alive, and that's all that mattered._

* * *

 

**Archie POV:**

 

"Ronnie! Hurry up you're gonna miss your flight!" I called. She always took forever to get ready, given that she wakes up at six every...single...morning. But I love her so it's okay. 

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" She giggled. 

"Oof! Without me this time?" I grinned. Her face fell as she took in my words, then scrunched up in disgust.

"Why did I marry you?" She asked, finally laughing. Her arms snuck around my neck, I held her against me in a tight, protective hug. 

"Because you love me, even when I make stupid jokes." I kissed her nose and she giggled. 

"That you do, Archikins." She kissed me quickly and pulled from my grasp. "Now let's go!" 

I laughed and grabbed our bags. Veronica was leaving to Hollywood to audition for the role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. I had a flight right after to Riverdale. Kevin got hurt so I'm leaving early. Veronica is gonna come by a couple days later. 

"Awe I can't wait to smush my girl's cheeks!" Veronica smiled, pinching the air. 

"Do you mean Juliet or Betty?" I joked.

"Very funny, now come on!" 

We got into the Uber and headed to the airport, Veronica's head on my shoulder, my arm around her waist. I was full of nerves on the ride, but Ronnie continued to try and take my mind off it. And by "it" I mean the flight. I hate planes. Always have, always will. Whenever Veronica has to take a flight to an awards show or audition, I always tend to go with her. It's hard, sure, but she helps me through it so I think that's very admirable. 

We pulled up to the airport and grabbed our bags from the trunk. We were moving quickly, Ronnie was almost late for her flight. I could take my time, though. I wasn't supposed to fly for another hour or so. So we went in, and we stood. We walked, stood, walked, stood, and so on for another 20 minutes. Finally, we reached the gate. Veronica's grip on my hand tightened. I looked to her and to my surprise, she was in full blown tears. 

"Ronnie, what's wrong?" I asked concerned. I pulled her into a tight hug and held her for a moment as she cried into my shoulder. 

"You're just lucky that you get to see the others first. I haven't seen them all in like two years! Also... Betty." 

I knew what she meant. Veronica and I had tried for years to have a kid, then we went to the doctor. Apparently Veronica can't have kids. We would adopt or get a surrogate, but her fans would always try to find something bad in that. To say we were disappointed would be an understatement. We were devastated. A life without kids would one day cause many arguments, but for the time being, we would just love each other. 

"I'm sorry that this is our life, that I can't give you the kids you want." 

"Ronnie, stop. I love you! Sure, it's gonna be hard, but we will always have our little family back in Riverdale. Just say the word, and we will be there."

"I love you, Archikins." She pulled my face to hers and kissed my lips, the taste salty from our tears.

"I love you, too. Now get on that plane and I'll see you Monday." I smiled and hugged her one last time. She forced a smile and walked away, as did I. 

As I waited for my flight, I sat in the small Starbucks texting Jughead. 

 **J:** So how long until your flight?

 **A:** Half an hour to go. I'm just in Starbucks waiting.

 **J:** Wow, you're so boring.

 **A:** Well it's not like I have anything else to do! Anyways, how's Betty doing?

 **J:** Tired, sick, but happy. We both are. We're just counting down the days until we can hear the heartbeat.

 **A:** That's great Jug. Okay my fight is here, see ya soon!

 **J:** By Archie!

I walked to my gate and gave the attendant my ticket. I walked in and sat in my seat. Veronica insisted I take first class because I'd 'feel more safe.' No! I'd feel 100% more safe if she were with me. But this audition is important to her, so I think I can manage one three hour flight without her. 

Landing in Riverdale seemed so strange to me. I haven't been here in so long, but everything was as it always had been. I was walking towards the baggage claim when I saw the face I'd been waiting to see for so long. 

"Jughead!" I pulled him into a quick, tight hug then slapped his shoulder. "Long time no see! How are you, man?" I asked. 

"Pretty good. Betty's at home with Juliet making lunch, so let's get going." We grabbed my bags and headed towards his truck.

The drive to his house was short, but sweet. As we pulled into the driveway, Jughead stopped me from exiting the vehicle, his hand on my shoulder. "Alice is here." 

"Jesus. How's Betty?" 

"Pissed. She just came in this morning, no call or text to tell us." Betty and Alice had a falling out about three years ago when Alice had started dating Edgar Evernever, this guy that runs some sort of cult and tried to get Betty in with them. Since then they haven't talked, seen each other, spent a holiday together, nothing. But Betty came out stronger in the end. I could only imagine how she was feeling today. "Don't worry, we just refinished the basement so you'll stay down there. Betty took a lot of time on it. She's making Alice sleep on the couch." We both laughed out loud at that.

"Classic Betty. How's Juliet?" I asked, opening the car door. 

"See for yourself." Jug said, pointing to the front door. I smiled as I saw Juliet running out the door. 

"Uncle Archie!!" The giddy little girl squealed. 

"Hey pumpkin! You've gotten so big!" 

"It's only been a year, uncle Archie. Where's auntie Ronnie?"

"Awe, I'm sorry, pumpkin. She's gonna fly in next week." My phone started to buzz. "Speak of the devil. Hey babe, you're on speaker, say hi."

"Hi guys! I'm prepping for my layover flight right now. What is everyone doing?" 

"Nothing." Betty said coming outside. "Hi, Arch." We hugged quickly. "Mom's back."

"Shit, Betty. Are you okay?" Veronica asked. 

"I will be, I'm just stressed." She sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. 

"Well try to keep calm, it's not good for the baby. Drink some oolong tea or something." Veronica soothed. 

"God, you sound like Polly." She giggled, placing her hand on her belly.

"I miss you, auntie!" Juliet shouted. 

"I miss you too, hun! But I've gotta go, my gate is being called. I'll text you guys later!" 

"Bye!" We all said. I hung up the phone and went to grab my bags. 

"Uncle Archie you gonna stay after the wedding?" My heart ached for my sweet niece. I wanted to stay so badly, but I had a life that I had to go back to. I couldn't stay forever.

"For a bit, but I can't stay forever. I'm sorry, Juliet."

"Baby, at least him and Auntie Ronnie will be here for Thanksgiving! Always look on the bright side, hun." Betty soothed. Juliet frowned and leaned in for a hug. She drew her face close to mine and grab it with her small hands.

"I better still be your favorite after the baby comes." She growled. I chuckled nervously as she ran inside. I walked to Betty to give her another hug.

"Mom hasn't stopped bothering me. I told Jug not to piss her off so I hope you will respect that too." She sighed, a hand placed firmly on her temple.

"You can trust me."

"Good. There's Pepsi and iced tea in the fridge, you know where the coffee is. I'm fixing club sandwiches for lunch so just go unpack. You get the basement." She said that last part loudly, an angry Alice glaring at her.

I left to go unpack, but I couldn't help but overhear Betty and Alice arguing. It was soft, but clear. Jug was there too, pacing and huffing. 

"Alice, stop. We had no idea you were even coming! So sorry if you get the couch over a finished basement. We were saving that for Archie and Veronica. You're gonna have to deal."

"Juggie please-" Betty tried to reason with him but Jughead wouldn't have it.

"No, Betts. I'm done with her!"

"Do not talk to me that way. I am your mother in law." Alice snapped. That's when I heard a loud slap.

"Betty-"

"Save it, Mom. Do you know how much pain you've caused me these last three years?! Too much! I want you to be my mom! Not anyone else! But you don't get it. All you care about is yourself, your pride, your... your reputation. Not your family, not me."

"Your father would be so disappointed in you, Elizabeth." That's when I heard another slap and the door slam shut. 

"And DON'T come back!" A car drove off, and Betty sobbed on the floor. 

"Baby, I-"

"Save it, Jug. I just want to hold our daughter right now."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too. Go eat some lunch. Check on Archie."

"Okay." He started to come downstairs soon after. "Sandwich?"

We ate our food in silence, a new topic coming up every once in a while.

"Is Betty okay?" I asked. 

"No. She just shunned her mom from her life for good. I think it's gonna be a while until she's okay again." 

"Got it." Then, a scream erupted from the upstairs. Jug and I both looked to each other and bolted to the pale white hallway, where Betty was sobbing, the news on in front of her. A confused Juliet tried to question her mom. I looked at the TV.

"More coverage on some breaking news, the plane has been identified as flight M5687, a round trip from New York to Hollywood. Police reports claim that there are no survivors."

I shook my head in fear and fell to the floor. That was Veronica's plane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T HATE ME! I feel this story was lacking some OOMF so no, Veronica won't be coming back. I'M SORRY! But if you read my stories, you know I tend to go pretty extreme. Also, get out your thinking caps because this death may have been caused by a new villain.... ANYWAYS, if you enjoyed the chapter then please leave Kudos and comment so I can continue. Alrighty, bye guys!!


	5. Remember Me

_"Is Betty okay?" I asked._

_"No. She just shunned her mom from her life for good. I think it's gonna be a while until she's okay again."_

_"Got it." Then, a scream erupted from the upstairs. Jug and I both looked to each other and bolted to the pale white hallway, where Betty was sobbing, the news on in front of her. A confused Juliet tried to question her mom. I looked at the TV._

_"More coverage on some breaking news, the plane has been identified as flight M5687, a round trip from New York to Hollywood. Police reports claim that there are no survivors."_

_I shook my head in fear and fell to the floor. That was Veronica's plane._

* * *

 

 

**Cheryl POV:**

 

Rain. Something so eerie, yet calming about it. I never really cared for the rain before JJ's death, but now I feel it's all around me. It's been a week since Veronica died, the rain has been pouring down harder than before. News broke out earlier in the week that the cause of the plane crash was a hijacking. I try to forget that my best friend was really gone, but nothing helps. Of all people, Archie, Betty, and Juliet are the most upset. Jughead doesn't want to admit it, but he thought of Veronica as a close friend, a sister even. At the Wyrm, if you listen closely, you can hear his muffled sobs in the storage closet. Juliet tends to stay in her room wearing Veronica's favorite hoodie that Archie gave her, and not taking it off. Betty tends to suppress her grief another way, by smashing things. I feel she's still tied up after her mom left because she broke all of the ancient china in her house. Archie won't talk to anyone. He just takes his bottle of rum everywhere he goes, and cry's before he sleeps.

The funeral was beautiful. Archie and Jughead both pitched in $5,000 to pay for the funeral. She had a dark blue casket, black roses, and a fresh gravestone. It was engraved with the uttermost precision, saying, "Daughter, Wife, Aunt, Friend. Always cherished in the good times, and her friends. May she rest in peace." As her casket was lowered into the ground, heavy sobs from Betty erupted. She crumpled to the ground, Juliet hugging her torso and Jughead kissing her head, his hand attached to a black umbrella. We all began to cry a bit louder at that. She was actually gone. This girl that we have known since she first arrived sophomore year, was simply, gone. 

Pops closed the restaurant for the week so that he could mourn and make arrangements to close the speakeasy. He opened it back up today. I hugged Betty goodbye in a tight squeeze while Jughead held onto Toni, Juliet fast asleep in the car. When they left, it was just Toni and I. I felt a surge of anger in that sudden moment. I huffed and stomped toward one grave that I knew could give me a release. 

"Fuck you, Hal Cooper!" I always had some tools in my bag just in case something like this ever happened. Toni rushed to my side and grabbed the small hammer from my hand before I could strike again. "TT not now, please!" 

"Cheryl, come on! Look at his grave! You can't see his name anymore! The flowers and grass around it is dead! There's nothing else you can do. Let's go home." She reasoned.

"Okay." With one final stab in the ground with my hoe (the tool you perv), we began the slow, silent trek back to the car. 

"I'm gonna get dinner started, babe. Go take a bath and unwind." Toni said as we pulled up to the house. 

"Okay. I love you... so much." I kissed her softly and hugged her arm. 

"I love you too, Cheryl. Come on, let's have a nice night."

I went upstairs to the master bathroom and began to strip from my funeral clothes. I turned the faucet on and poured in my cherry-scented bath salts and bubbles. I grabbed a vanilla bath bomb and plopped it in. Tying my hair into a messy bun, I stepped into the warm bath and turned off the faucet. I had some classic 80's rock playing in the background. I tried to focus on that, but I couldn't. In fact, I couldn't really focus on anything besides the fizzing bath bomb, and the sad thoughts taking over my brain. The sounds of the bath bomb,  _*FIZZ*_ was one thing that sort of helped to distract me from the day-mares that refused to leave my brain.  _*FIZZ*_ The more I think about the events of today, the sadder I get.  _*FIZZ*_ She didn't deserve this. I cried softly to myself in the tub.

After about an hour, the water was cold and my skin was pruney. I stepped out of the tub and grabbed my red towel. I went to my room and put on some simple, red and black silk pajamas. Slipping on some black socks, I walked downstairs, my nose immediately being hit with the savory scent of pepperoni and the fresh baked smell of bread. If there's one thing Toni can make perfectly, it's pizza. Grabbing a slice, I sulked to the couch and plopped down, Toni following close behind. 

"How are you feeling, babe?" She asked, one hand playing with my hair, the other holding a slice of pizza. 

"A little better. It hurts so much, TT." I sighed, turning to face her. "Should we push the wedding back?"

"Is that what you want?" 

"I feel it's what we need. We need more time. Planning a wedding and getting married in just three months is very stressful. Not to mention that Thanksgiving is next week. I think we should."

"I agree. But just know that I'm gonna marry your cute face at some point." She squished my cheeks and bent down to kiss my lips. 

"Agreed. Now, let's watch something comical. I'm done with being sad for tonight." I flipped through about 50 different movies on Netflix until we both finally agreed on  _Revenge of the Bridesmaids._ Ironic being that we're getting married, but have the sweetest bridesmaids.

Halfway through the movie, I noticed Toni fast asleep on the couch. Quietly, I turned off the TV and carried her to our bed (I do this when she's drunk sometimes). Laying her in the bed, I quickly changed her into some pajamas. I fell asleep faster that night. 

Later that night, I woke up to the sounds of clatter in the kitchen. It was like pots and pans were being flung across the room. It wasn't until I heard a plate smash and noticed Toni not beside me that I began to worry and run downstairs. I reached the kitchen and saw Toni, knife in hand, and a tall man with a green mask standing in from of her, knife in hand as well. 

"T-Toni?"

 "Cheryl go upstairs! Now!" She was scared, helpless. I couldn't just leave her alone. Without thought or hesitation, I grabbed the nearest cookbook and threw it at his head. 

"Toni, let's go!" We both ran outside, the thief hot on our tails, the knife still in his hand. It must have been about five minutes before we finally outran him. We were near Pop's at this point so we decided to head there, to call the cops. 

"Ladies! It's pretty late, right? What can I do for you?" A cheery Pop Tate asked us. Only Pop would be this giddy working at 1 in the morning.

"Two raspberry chocolate shakes and a phone. We left ours at the house. We were robbed." Toni sighed. 

"Dear god. I thought we had finally outrun all of this darkness. The phone is back here." He sighed, pointing behind the counter.

Reaching for the phone, I dialed 911 as Toni got situated at the bar. "Hi, yes I'd like to report a robbery. Cheryl Blossom and soon-to-be Toni Blossom." I saw her smile at that. "Yes, it was at Thistlehouse. Thank you so much. Bye-bye now!" 

"Soon-to-be. I like hearing that more and more each day." Toni chuckled, biting her cherry from the stem. 

"Soon it won't be 'Soon-to be." It will be 'Forever'." We sat in comfortable silence as we held each other's hands and sipped our shakes. 

"Have I told you how excited I am, babe?" Toni whispered, her fingers dancing on my palms. 

"Yes, obvi. I'm so ready to get married. It will happen before we know it."

"I know. But, have I really told you?" I looked at her confused. "My whole life, I've always been the bad girl from the wrong side of the tracks. My parents are in jail, my grandfather is dead, and I'm a Serpent. I haven't had good happiness, until I met you." Tears glimmered in my eyes.

"Toni, I-"

"Let me finish. I've never had good relationships. Just my Serpent family. But when you came along into my life, even if you were a 'Stone cold bitch' as many called you, deep down I knew you were more than that; that we could relate on so many things from our lives. I'm glad and so thankful that I have a partner in crime... and life, that will cherish me as much as I cherish her. I can't wait to marry you, have kids with you, grow old with you-"

I cut her off with a lingering kiss to her lips, our salt tears mixing with the taste of chocolate raspberry perfection. 

"I love you so much, mon cherie." I whimpered. 

"I love you more, my Cheryl Bombshell." 

"Let's go home."

At the house, we cuddled in our California King bed, soft jazz playing in the background. I felt Toni shuffle, then move to go to the bathroom. 

"So, how do you think Betty is doing? All this stress has to be too much for the baby." Toni yawned, the toilet flushing.

"Bad. Veronica was her best friend. Mine too, but more for Betty. I hope she doesn't do anything stupid that could jeopardize her baby's health." As a recap, almost 10 years ago, Betty was pregnant with Juliet. It was on a night that she went to see her father in prison. They argued, badly, and then she ran out crying. Jughead and FP found her in the middle of a panic attack. She was hiding at the old Twilight Drive-In. She had self harm marks and bruises all over her body. Shortly after she started to bleed from stress so her doctor had to deliver the baby about three months early. That's why everyone is so cautious about this baby. We don't want anything like that to happen again. 

"It sucks. I was never that close with Veronica, but we were still friends." She sighed. "She was nice. I hated her family, but liked her. She always tried to do good."

"She was the one there for me the most after JJ's death. I miss her so much, TT. Oh god..."

She raced from the bathroom to my side and clutched my head to her heart, the sound of it beating seemingly calming me down. 

"It will all be okay. I promise." We stayed silent and crying until we were all out of tears. 

Later on, while Toni was asleep, I was wide awake. I couldn't stop thinking about that thief in the mask. I remember it clear as day (ironic cuz it was at night hahaha). He wore all black, now has a knife, and wore a dark green masquerade mask. He had a hood that covered his head and a strong smell of cigarettes and whiskey to him. It made me a little disoriented but there was something vaguely familiar about him. Like I had met this person before. I don't know, I'm too fucking tired.

The next day, I shot a quick text to Betty asking her to meet me at Pop's. I got dressed and headed out. Walking into the front door of the diner, I gave Pop a small smile.

"Hello, Cheryl. How are you today?" 

"Better. How's selling the La Bon Nuit coming along?" 

"I sold it, but the buyer is letting me keep it. I'm gonna use it for storage and such. Maybe a natural disaster base."

"That's nice, Pop. Who's the buyer?"

"An old friend of mine. Gordon Smithers." Smithers. Veronica's ex-chauffeur. Makes sense. "The usual?"

"Yes, also Betty and Juliet's. Just in case she decides to come along."

"You got it." With a quick smile, I headed to my usual booth and waited for Betty and Juliet. 

"Auntie Cheryl!" A happy voice said. I looked to the door to see Juliet, her raven hair bouncing with its curls as she ran. 

"Hey, hun." I hugged her then walked up to Betty. She looked awful. She hadn't showered in days, wore sweats and an old tank top. Her bump was starting to show. She was about a month and a half away from learning the gender. 

"Cheryl, how are you?" She asked.

"Better. How are you?" She almost laughed at that question. 

"Oh! Ecstatic, Cheryl. Yeah, my best friend is dead I'm pregnant with a baby that is making me throw up every morning, I have a daughter that throws tantrums ever god damn second of every day, and I have a mother who I just kicked out of my life for good. So yeah. I'm great." She wiped the tears that fell from her eyes quickly as Juliet came back from saying hi to Pop Tate.

"Betty I-" 

"I'm sorry. Let's just sit." She sighed, rubbing a hand down her tired tear stained face.

I bent down to hug Jules again and whisper in her ear. "Hun why don't you go ask Pop if you can take orders again. I wanna talk to your mom for a bit." She seemed to understand, skipping over to Pop, who handed her a small notepad and pencil. Juliet liked to help Pop with the restaurant every once in a while. He even gave her some of the tips and free cones. Pop said he would give Juliet the restaurant when she got older. Sitting in a booth with Betty, I grabbed her hand and rubbed small circles on her palms. I felt something off and looked at them. She tried to tug her palms away, but I caught them before she could. She had scarred over crescent moons on her palms. "Betty what are these?"

More tears flowed from her eyes to her cheeks. 

"You can't tell anyone. Jug knows that I used to do this, he doesn't know I still am though."

"Betty what are they?"

"Cuts. Scars. When I need to relieve myself of the pain in life. It helps. It would kill Jug if he found out! Cheryl please..."

"Promise me you'll get help, and I won't tell him."

She contorted her face until she finally relaxed and held her hand out. "Deal." We shook hands and ate our food. Juliet came bouncing over to show off her tips. 

We continued to eat and hang out for another hour. We laughed and smiled for the first time in a week. I wouldn't let go of Betty's hand, scared she would hurt herself again. Juliet started to get tired about halfway through the night. A few minutes before parting, she lay sleeping in Betty's lap, Betty's hands dancing through her hair. I was in awe of her.

"You're such a god mom." I sighed. 

"I love her too much to be bad one. She inspires me."

"How's the fetus doing?" I asked with a giggle. 

She laughed lightly at that. "Doing good. I have an ultrasound in about a month to learn the gender. Jug and I both think it's a boy. It's a different feeling this time around than with Jules."

"What's so different?"

"Well, my belly hangs lower than before, I have the sudden urge every now and then to shoot Jug with his Nerf Guns, and I'm craving whipped cream and cheese curds." I gagged at that. "What?! When you're pregnant one day you'll be craving weirder shit than me."

We both laughed and finished our night. Once I finally got home, I noticed the lights all on. It had to be at least midnight. Confused I walked inside and was hit with the smell of wet dog instantly.

"Toni?" I called out. "Babe what's that smell?"

"Hola, mi amor. That is your present... well, our present." 

"Wha- OH MY GOD!" I dropped to the floor, a small puppy began to run towards me. "Toni, wha-, how? When? I love you! Oh my god!"

"I though it was best we finally get a new roommate." She chuckled.

"Oh my god what kind of dog is it?"

"It's a White Miniature Pomskey... a Pomeranian Husky. Her name at the shelter was Gigi but you can change it."

"Oh my... okay." Toni chuckled at me. I'm never this flustered around her. I began to think of names. On came into my head and I thought it was just perfect for my new doggo. "Her name is Veronica." Tears glistened in my eyes as I said her name. One fell onto Toni's cheek. 

We slept well that night, finally. We could finally have peace and move forward from this incident. It was what we needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still hope y'all aren't upset I killed Ronnie off. We're gonna get a big Choni scene next chapter so stay tuned. Also, Bughead will have a major bump in the road. Whether or not I mean literally or figuratively, that's for you do figure out. And let me know of who you think the man in the mask is. But anyways, If you enjoyed this chapter then please leave Kudos and comment so I can continue. Alrighty, bye guys!!


	6. How to Save a Life

_"I though it was best we finally get a new roommate." She chuckled._

_"Oh my god what kind of dog is it?"_

_"It's a White Miniature Pomskey... a Pomeranian Husky. Her name at the shelter was Gigi but you can change it."_

_"Oh my... okay." Toni chuckled at me. I'm never this flustered around her. I began to think of names. On came into my head and I thought it was just perfect for my new doggo. "Her name is Veronica." Tears glistened in my eyes as I said her name. One fell onto Toni's cheek._

_We slept well that night, finally. We could finally have peace and move forward from this incident. It was what we needed._

* * *

 

**Toni POV:**

 _ (ONE MONTH LATER) _

 

A month had gone by without any other instances from the mysterious green masked man. Everyone in Riverdale has dubbed him as the Masquerade Master. 

The Jones' are pulling through. Jughead has been more upbeat and happy this last month. Juliet has been having daily play dates with Calliope. Betty I feel has made the most progress of anyone. She cut her hair down to a bob, started wearing maternity clothes, and has been excelling at her job. The shop has been extremely busy this last month. Betty is also starting to show more. She has an ultrasound in the next few days. We're all so excited for them. Betty and Jug put Cheryl and I in charge of planning the shower. 

It's pretty damn obvious that the one person who has been taking the longest to recover is Archie. Sure, his dad has been there, but he lost the love of his life. They never even got the chance to have kids. 

Kevin and Moose have been okay. Kevin and Veronica had a falling out about 2 years ago. They remained friends but never talked or called each other. Kevin always wanted to change that but it was too late. He was at the funeral, being that he was in town at the same time this all happened. Moose never had a strong relationship with her, so he mainly supported Kevin. There are more people, but those were the most important. We were best friends with her. It was like a part of our family was just gone. 

I was in the kitchen trying to bake Christmas cookies. Christmas was tomorrow. It was gonna be a sad day. Veronica was dead, Cheryl and I had to cancel the wedding, and Betty was spending Christmas knowing her mother is truly gone for the first time. 

"Auntie Toni!" A giggle and the patter of sandals on the floors cut me from my thoughts. I almost forgot the Jones' were coming over. Even FP was coming! For the past few years, we've alternated houses to spend Christmas at. This year, it was our house. They're gonna all sleepover. 

"Juliet! Come help me decorate cookies!" She skipped over, her Serpent jacket and black Santa hat standing out above anything else. 

"Honey, take your shoes off." Betty called as she walked it. She always looked fabulous, especially now since she cut her hair. She looks like a mom, a hot one. She wore a form fitting red and green pencil dress and black flats. Her baby bump was really showing. I walked over to hug her. "Hey girl. Where's Cheryl?"

"She's picking up a few last minute things from the store. Come on! Everyone file in! Where's FP?"

"Getting the presents with Juggie. I'm kind pissed at Jug this year. He went a little too far on gifts for Juliet." 

"Well don't you guys have the money?" 

"Yeah but we don't want her to grow up spoiled. We teach her that money doesn't matter and that she should be grateful of a gift of any price."

"Good for you guys then. You're such a good mom. This little one is gonna love you." I smiled and placed my hand on her belly. 

"It was kicking like crazy earlier. Oh also! My doctor called! My ultrasound is being bumped up to tomorrow afternoon!"

"Betty that's great! Are you gonna wait till the party or just find out?"

"Well, Jug and I agreed that it would be fun to tell the gender to y'all tomorrow as an extra gift."

"Awe!"

"Hey, Betty!" Kevin and Moose emerged from the shadows hand in hand.

"Kevin! Moose!" She walked over to them and gave them each big hugs. Jug and FP walked through the door, presents overflowing their arms. 

"Toni help! There's more in the car!" Jug panted.

"Okay, okay." I came back from the car with a laundry bag full of gifts. Man, Betty wasn't kidding. Coming back in, I began to put the presents beneath the tree. "Hey, FP!"

"Toni, what's up?" He asked plopping down on the couch.

"Can you go decorate cookies with Juliet, she's all alone over there. I've got a few last minute things to deal with."

"Sure! Juliet, can Grandpa help?" He chuckled, scooping Juliet into a bone crushing hug. 

"Sure, Papa! Here's the green, put it here." She was like a mini Betty, I loved it.

I watched them play as I put the presents under the tree. Almost all of them were for Jules. I looked over to Betty every once in a while. She was almost always near Juliet, Kevin, or Jug. Right now, she was drinking apple cider on the couch, Jug's hands on her belly. They looked at each other lovingly. He kissed her softly as she leaned into him. At that moment, Cheryl came in. She noticed me staring. I wanted kids so bad. I didn't want to be pregnant, but Cheryl did. It was as if she could read my mind. She knew I was thinking of the future, a future with kids. She smiled, winked, and walked over to Juliet and FP.

"What's on your mind, Toni?" Betty asked. I turned to face her. Jughead was gone, so it was just us. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

"Of course I do, Betty. I... I just really want kids, but it's kind of hard to do when you're in our situation." She gave me a small sympathetic smile. Her phone started to ring. 

"It's Archie." The room fell silent. No one has heard from Archie in a month. "I'm putting it on speaker, no one talk. Juliet, no talking." She answered the phone. "Arch, oh my god, where have you been. We've all been so worried."

"Betty, when the hell was someone gonna tell me about Christmas?" All of our faces grew pale. 

"Arch, we haven't heard from you, seen you, in a month. We thought you needed time. Please understand."

"I do, Betty. I'm sorry for snapping. Is it still okay if I come over. I'm not drunk or anything, I know Juliet's there." 

She looked to us for an answer. I smiled and nodded yes, as did everyone else. "Get your ass over here, Andrews." She giggled. "I'm glad he's coming."

"YAY! UNCLE ARCHIE! AGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Juliet screamed. 

"Juliet Ann Jones! Stop that yelling!" Betty scolded. Juliet's eyes started to water. Betty rushed over to her and took her outside, grabbing the girl's coat along the way. 

"Well then. Eggnog?" I asked to ease the tension. A murmur of yes' were heard around the room.

"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas Eve!" A beaming Archie shouted, arms full of presents. He wore a green Santa hat and a big black coat. Juliet came jogging in at the sound of her uncles voice.

"Uncle Archie!!" She jumped into Archie's arms, knocking some presents over. 

"Woah, careful peanut! I've missed you!" He laughed, hugging the small girl tight. 

"I've missed you more! Mommy, can we open presents now that Uncle Archie is here?"

Betty looked to me for conformation. I smiled. "Present time!" 

Around three hours later, we had each opened some presents and eaten some delicious food. Juliet was playing with her new American Girl Doll, Betty was showing off the jewelry Jug gave her, and I was finishing up dessert. Kevin and Moose retired to bed early. They had a couples massage booked for the next morning. Cheryl came up to me, her arms wrapped around my waist. She peppered light kisses along my shoulder. I giggled and turned to face her.

"What has gotten into you tonight, baby?" I smirked. She shrugged and kissed my lips. 

"I just love you. And I can't wait to marry you, and start a family. So I was thinking, what if sometime this week, we went to a fraternity clinic. We get tested and see what chances we have. Then we can wait, but it'd be good to know-" I cut her off with a long kiss to her lips.

"That would be amazing, Cheryl." I sighed, placing a hand on her cheek.

"I know, that's why I suggested it." We laughed and went to sit on the couch. 

"Mommy, daddy!" We looked to the tired couple. They had finally gone to sleep when Juliet called. 

"I'll go, you need rest." Jug yawned. He kissed her forehead and went off to go find Juliet. 

"I don't know how I'm gonna handle two kids." Betty sighed, a hand on her forehead.

"Well, three if you count Jug." Cheryl smirked.

"I heard that!" Jug yelled from the other room. We all laughed.

"I'm gonna head upstairs to bed. We have the ultrasound tomorrow! See you tomorrow morning!" She was practically skipping to her room. 

"Auntie Cheryl! Auntie Toni! Can you read me a bedtime story. Dad tells the same one every night." Juliet yawned, plopping onto the couch with us.

"Awe, of course hun. But we have to make it quick. Santa won't come if you're still awake!" I smiled. 

Juliet looked to Archie, who was watching with amusement. "You. Bed. Now." 

Archie laughed, hugged Juliet goodnight, then headed upstairs. 

After telling Jules a quick story, Cheryl and I headed to our room. I was laying in bed when I heard the bathroom door open. Out came Cheryl, covered in the black and red silk panty set I bought her. My jaw dropped when I took in her figure. 

"I figured this could be a late Christmas Eve gift." She smiled, her red lipstick shining brightly with her pearly white teeth. 

"Baby, you look... Shit get over here." She crawled her way onto the bed and pulled me into her lap. She kissed me sweetly at first, but turned the passion novel up to ten when she deepened it. "Mmm, Cheryl." She placed her hands under my top and cupped by small breasts. 

"TT, lie down." She whispered as she removed my shirt. She hovered over me and began to place small kisses from my breasts to my thighs. She unclasped her bra and pressed her body to mine.

My heart was thumping, my mind foggy. The only thing I could think about was how good it all felt. "Cheryl, stop teasing me." She grinned devilishly and removed my underwear. 

"God, babe, you're dripping." My cheeks blushed completely over. She nuzzled her nose against my heat before finally placing sweet kisses on my clit.

I moaned a little too loudly when she began to put her fingers in me. The door opened loudly, Cheryl and I both scrambling to get underneath the covers. There in the doorway stood an angry and tired Jughead, Betty on his side. 

"Thin walls." It was all they said, simultaneously might I add. They slammed the door shut and Cheryl began to laugh out of embarrassment. 

"Oh my god, that was so embarrassing." She giggled. Our faces were as red as beets. I kissed her lips softly. 

"It was fun while it lasted. I'm tired, now." I sighed. She cupped my face and kissed me once more. 

"Goodnight, love." She smiled. 

"Goodnight." I turned off the lamp and pulled the covers over our bodies. We clung to each other as we fell asleep. Peaceful, quiet, and sweaty. That's what we were.

 

**Jughead POV:**

_ (The next Day) _

 

"Daddy! Mommy! Wake up it's CHRISTMAS!" I groaned and slapped a hand to my face. Betty was still fast asleep.

"Peanut, let mommy rest a bit longer. She had a rough night." Betty was up half the night sick to her stomach. I felt helpless, but at least now she can rest. I looked at the clock to my right, dumbfounded at the time. It was seven in the fucking morning. "Juliet can you please just wait until it's 8:30?" 

"No now!" She looked as if she may cry.

She was totally guilting me right now. I sat up and pulled her into bed between Betty and I. "Sleep, peanut." She pulled the covers over her small body and fell asleep within minutes. Betty instinctively turned over and began to hold little Juliet in her arms. I wrapped my hands around my wife's torso so that Juliet would be trapped in.

We slept a little longer than expected, being that we woke up at nine. Our doctors appointment was in five hours. 

"Morning loves." Betty yawned. Her hair was a mess and she had some drool on her lip. It was adorable. 

"Mommy! Daddy! PRESENTS NOW!!" Jules screamed. She ran downstairs, tugging us with her. She kept tripping over her enormous elf onesie. "Everybody wake up! Santa came!" Everyone began to file downstairs. Big smiles were apparent as Juliet skipped towards the tree.

She tried grabbing a present but Archie held her back. "Remember tradition, Jules. You need to wait for everyone to sit first, then your dad will give out presents." 

"Fine." She huffed. "Daddy hurry!" She shouted at me. I was practically asleep making my coffee.

"Juggie, you're going to spill coffee everywhere, be careful!" Betty scolded. I jolted awake and started to make my way to the couch. 

I grabbed a present I hid special from everyone for Juliet first. "Here you go, baby. Be gentle." Betty's gonna kill me.

She opened up the big box and pulled out a tiny kitten. Instantly, Juliet began to cry. I looked over to Betty, who was glaring daggers at me. I gulped and turned back to Juliet. She hugged the little cat with such care. "Thank you, daddy!" She whimpered through her tears. Betty seemed to ease up a bit at that. She looked at me and gave a small nod. I knew she approved. Veronica came up to the couch, jumping into Betty's lap.

"I love that you named her Veronica, Cheryl." She sighed, petting the small dog. Suddenly, the puppy began to bark and growl uncontrollably. Betty, freaking out a bit, hugged the puppy tightly and put her upstairs.

She came back down, running a hand down her face. I shot up and jogged over to her. 

"Baby, are you okay?" I asked, running a hand up and down her arm. 

"I wish you would have told me about the cat." She blanked. 

"I-I know, Betts. I'm sor-"

"But I'm glad you got one. Look at our girl. She's so happy." We both looked to Juliet, who was placing kisses all over the sleepy cat that lay in her arms. "By the way, you're buying everything. The food, the litter box, the toys-"

"I have it all covered. I have stuff hiding at the house."

"Okay. Let's go open more gifts." She smiled, kissing my cheek. We made our way back to the living room. "Give me that cat, Jules. I wanna hold it." She gave the sweet cat to her mother. "Awe baby. Do you love her?"

"Yes, mommy!" 

"Do you swear to take good care of her?" 

"Of course!" 

"Okay then." Juliet giggled then. "My turn!" 

I handed a small box to my wife. She smiled and took it. "This is from me." 

She opened the box to find a necklace that said 'Jones'. Around the word were our families birthstone colors. "Juggie." She breathed. Tears glistened in her eyes as she examined the small pendant. Confusion sunk in as she looked on. "Did a stone fall off? There's none right here."

"That is for our new baby. I didn't want to put one in yet just in case we have another situation like the last time. Once you have this baby, I will take it immediately to get the stone put in." 

A tear slipped onto her cheek.

"I'm gonna name her banana." We all looked at Juliet, who was rocking the kitten in her arms. Betty and I looked at each other instinctively, thinking back to her second birthday. We thought she was done with that phase... apparently not.

We continued to open presents until it was my turn for the last one. Betty and Cheryl sat on both sides of me. 

"This is for you from both of us." Cheryl smiled. "We know how upset you were."

"I may have bribed the guy who bought it." Betty shrugged.

"And by 'bribe' she means 'threatened'" Betty blushed at that. 

"Whatever just open it." My wife laughed. 

Opening the wrapping paper, I stared in disbelief at what the girls got me. The last signed copy of the new Goosebumps book. I drew them both into a big hug, kissing both of their cheeks. I ran around the room, yelling in pure joy over my gift. The others looked at me like I was crazy, but Betty had nothing but adoration in her eyes. I'm totally getting laid tonight. 

It was around four hours later. Betty and I had to get going if we were gonna make that appointment. "Juliet come on! Bring a toy if you want but we have to go!" Betty shouted. "Bye everyone! We'll be back later tonight to let you guys know everything. See you at dinner!" We left just as Juliet came bouncing out with her new bunny toy. 

"I wanted to bring Banana, but uncle Moose said no." She pouted. Betty and I shared a look and got into the car. 

The drive to the hospital was short, quiet, peaceful. We got there in around 30 minutes. We walked in and up to the front desk. "Betty Cooper for a two o'clock ultrasound."

"This way, please." We walked into our usual room. 

Around five minutes later, Dr. Kelly came in. "Jughead, Betty! It's great to see you again! And you must be Juliet. Your mommy is always talking about you. You know, I delivered you." 

Juliet looked up, amusement in her eyes. "Actually?"

Dr. Kelly giggled. "Yes. And my, how you've grown." 

"It's good to see you. I'm glad your delivering baby number two also!" Betty smiled. I grabbed her hand and smiled at the Dr. 

"Me too. You were always one of my favorite patients. Let's find out this gender now, shall we?" She put the usual drop of gel on Betty's stomach, moving around the little remote. The monitor started up and began to show a clear pic of our baby. "Awe. Now before I reveal, any name suggestions?"

"For a boy, we were thinking Oliver, and for a girl, Emmalyne." I said. Betty squeezed my hand in excitement. 

"Awe, how perfect. Now let's see if this kid is a-okay." She began to count out loud, pointing to the toes. "7, 8, 9, 10, 11... 11? Hm. I think you know what that means."

"Our baby is deformed?!" Betty asked, disbelief in her voice. 

"Hahahaha, no, Betty. It's a perfectly healthy little......" She began.

She paused and Juliet shouted from my lap, "Say it!"

"Haha, it's a boy." She smiled. 

Betty and I looked to each other, tears in our eyes. "Oliver. Baby Ollie! Oh my god!" We cried until we heard Juliet crying too. "Awe baby. Are you happy?" Betty sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I wanted a sister, a baby Emmy." She stormed out of the room, leaving Betty crying all over again, but not for any good reason. 

"I'll talk to her." I kissed Betty's forehead and walked into the waiting room. There, Juliet sat, crying softly into Veronica's old hoodie. "Peanut, I know you're upset, but you just made mommy feel really bad. I know how badly you wanted a sister, but think of it this way. You will always be older than Ollie. You will always be his big sister, his mentor, his best friend. Trust me you will love him."

"Swear?" She whimpered. 

"I swear." I kissed her forehead and grabbed her hands. "How about we go back in and apologize to mommy now, huh?" 

"Okay." We walked back into the room. There Betty was, packing up her purse. Juliet shyly walked in and tugged on her moms dress. "Mommy, do you hate me?" 

"Juliet Ann Jones, I could never hate you." Betty pulled Juliet into a long, tight hug. "I hope you won't ever hate this baby, though." 

"I won't. I swear."

"Good. Let's go back to Auntie's house. It's almost dinner time."

Walking back to the car, we were already thinking of what the family would think, of what everyone would think. I feel that Archie will be overly emotional. He always wanted a boy with Veronica. The drive back was quicker, being that there were basically no cars on the road. We rolled the windows down, blasted Moana, and just enjoyed each other's company. Juliet was being adorable as always, singing, "What can I say except, YOU'RE WELCOME?!" I couldn't wait to do this with two kids. Soon after, the song ended. "Play another one daddy!"

"Okay, okay!" I looked through the songs, finding her favorite. I pressed play, but the radio had stopped working. That's when I felt Betty's hand on my arm and her screams.

"Jug, watch out!" I looked up to find a man in a green mask standing right in the middle of the road. He was running towards me, and he was fast. Each time I tried to get away from him, he always found his way back. Eventually, he was too close to the hood of the car. I accidentally jerked the wheel too far, and we went fast down a steep hill. "Everyone hold on!" Betty screamed. We ran into a tree, and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trust me on this. This masked man will surprise you. I love the reference to the last chapter of my first story, I think it's so cute. I also never write steamy and sultry scenes so this Choni one I feel was very well deserved. Also I'm sorry about that Jones family scene, but you will learn their fate in the next chapter. Anyways, if you enjoyed this chapter then please leave Kudos and comment so I can continue. Alrighty, bye guys!!


	7. This Can't Happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Child abuse/rape is in this chapter. I don't give details, but you'll know when it happens. Just a warning.

_Walking back to the car, we were already thinking of what the family would think, of what everyone would think. I feel that Archie will be overly emotional. He always wanted a boy with Veronica. The drive back was quicker, being that there were basically no cars on the road. We rolled the windows down, blasted Moana, and just enjoyed each other's company. Juliet was being adorable as always, singing, "What can I say except, YOU'RE WELCOME?!" I couldn't wait to do this with two kids. Soon after, the song ended. "Play another one daddy!"_

_"Okay, okay!" I looked through the songs, finding her favorite. I pressed play, but the radio had stopped working. That's when I felt Betty's hand on my arm and her screams._

_"Jug, watch out!" I looked up to find a man in a green mask standing right in the middle of the road. He was running towards me, and he was fast. Each time I tried to get away from him, he always found his way back. Eventually, he was too close to the hood of the car. I accidentally jerked the wheel too far, and we went fast down a steep hill. "Everyone hold on!" Betty screamed. We ran into a tree, and everything went black._

* * *

 

**Betty POV:**

 

"Stay with me! Doctor, we're losing her!" The voices, muffled and frantic. It was as if I was underwater, or in a bubble, or both. Where was I, what happened? I can hear them, feel them, but I can't see them. My mind began to trace back the events of the day. It's Christmas. Juliet had just gotten a kitten from her dad, she named her banana. We left to go to the hospital for an ultrasound. It's a boy, his name will be Oliver and he will be perfect. We went back to the car to head home for dinner. There was someone in the road, he wore a green mask. We hit a tree, then it was all black. "She's flatlining!" What?

"Where is she?! Where's Betty?!" Someone else is in here. It was so familiar. Archie. He came. He needs to be with Jug, check on Juliet. He shouldn't worry about me, I'm okay. "Betty!" Please go.

"Sir, you need to leave. Her life is at stake." A woman, probably a nurse, said. Please, get him out, be with my family. I'm begging you, I'm fine. "Get ready to shock." I'm sorry, what?!

"Betty, I'm gonna find Jug and Juliet. Don't die on me!" I won't, but I'm so tired.

"Charging to 500. Shocking in 3...2...1..." GAH! The pain. I felt it all! My head was racing, I wanted this to stop. Please, make it stop. "Damnit. Charging to 700. Shocking in 3...2...1..." For the love of god, please stop! I can't take it! "We've got a heartbeat. She's alive, send her to the ICU." Thank you...

Time seemed to pass by. I began to open my eyes, the brightness only causing me to close them again. I squinted and tried to turn away. Something nothing short of a whimper escaped my lips, a hand that was apparently holding mine letting go. "Oh my god, Betty. Doctor! She's awake!" It was Archie, he came back. Asshole. His warm hand came back to mine and I squeezed, I was okay. I opened my eyes fully, blinking to adjust to the lights. A doctor and Archie hovered over me. 

"Geez, give a girl some room, will ya?" I smiled. Archie chuckled and kissed my hand. 

"I thought you died. Don't do that to me again." He was crying. I reached up and wiped the tears from his eyes.

My smile soon fell as realization finally sunk in. "Okay I have three questions." Archie and the doctor piped up. "One, where is Juggie? Two, where is my daughter? And three, is my baby okay?" 

"Mr. Jones will be alright, as will your baby. Honestly, it's a miracle. That little boy should not have survived that crash."

Archie looked at me surprised. "It's a boy?"

"Yeah, Arch. It is." He smiled and rubbed my belly gently. I turned back to the doctor. "And what about Juliet?"

Archie and the doctor shared a sad look. He nodded at Archie. "She was nowhere to be found when the paramedics arrived. There were no heads, but no Juliet either." 

Tears began to well up in my eyes. This can't be happening, not again. "She can't be gone! This isn't gonna be like the same thing that happened almost a fucking decade ago! No, no, no." 

"Betty, you need to calm down." Archie said worriedly. It felt as if the room was getting smaller, and the air was being sucked from it. She can't be gone, she can't be gone. Not again. No, no, no. The doctor injected something into my arm. I could breath, the room was less small, and my vision was growing dark.

I woke up again sometime later. I had two pairs of hands holding mine. I opened my eyes to see Archie and Jughead asleep, their heads resting near my thighs. Squeezing their hands, they woke up and smiled sadly. "Baby, thank god." Jughead breathed, he stood slowly to kiss me, tears pooling in his red, swollen eyes. "I was so worried."

"So was I. Arch?" I looked to him. Seemingly getting the point, he smiled, kissed my hand once more, and left us alone to talk. "Baby, come here."

I made some room on the bed for him. He obliged and slid next to me, wrapping me in his arms. I had a cast on my right arm and everything hurt, but he was gentle and perfect. "Juliet-"

"Baby, please. We'll find her. And if not, the Serpent's will. She will be okay, I promise."

"How do you know?"

"Because she's OUR little girl, Jug. She's strong, knows how to fend for herself, and how to survive anything. She learned that all from us."

"I love you so much." He cried, dipping down to meet my lips. His tears fell on my cheeks, I held him closer. "The doctor says you can be released by the end of the week. I'm good to go tomorrow."

"That's great, Juggie." I tried to smile. "And to think, it's Christmas." 

"Baby..." I looked to him, running my hand through his hair. "It's been almost two months."

_Three Hours Later..._

"So, I'm almost seven months pregnant?" I had asked this about five times already, but I was in shock. I was in a coma for two months, and I've missed so much. Cheryl and Toni apparently went to a fertility clinic, and Cheryl is perfectly healthy to have a baby. Kevin and Moose rented a hotel and have been staying there since. Cheryl and Toni have also been taking care of Banana, who has become best friends with Veronica, as Cheryl says. Also the Masquerade Master struck again. He killed Chuck. Calliope is now fostering with Josie and Reggie. I've missed so much, too much.

"Betty-" Cheryl started, but I cut her off with my waving hand.

"No, Cheryl. I was supposed to be okay, we all were. Now Kevin, you and Moose keep on having to push flights back and miss work because of how fucked up things are down here."

"Betty, it's okay-" Moose was saddened by my statement. 

"No, Moose. I'm sorry, but I'm far from done. May we all also not forget that Chuck is DEAD! My daughter is gone somewhere, and my mother is probably off somewhere drinking pina coladas with Edgar fucking Evernever." 

"Baby, please. It will all be okay. Remember what you told me." Jughead softly grabbed my face in his hands. He wiped my tears away and kissed my forehead. "We'll be okay. I promise."

"Please at least tell me the Serpent's have been looking for Juliet?" 

He smiled. "They have, everyday. They are getting close." His phone began to ring. "Speak of the devil, it's Sweet Pea."

He left the room to talk to his friend. Cheryl and Kevin came to sit on each side of me. I held both of their hands and closed my eyes, trying to relax. "I'm scared." 

"We know. We are too." Kevin frowned, resting his head on my temple. 

Jug came barging in a bit later. "Cheryl, Toni, go to Sweet Pea now, he found something." I smiled and reached for Jughead as Cheryl and Toni ran for their bikes. "He found something." He kissed my lips and rubbed my belly. "He found something."

 

**Cheryl POV:**

 

"Toni, drive faster!" I yelled as we raced through the dark, quiet town of Riverdale. We drove up to the clearing along Sweetwater River. There, Sweetpea stood, his foot tapping impatiently. 

"Took you long enough." He huffed, pulling out his phone.

"Shove it, Pea. What's the news?" Toni deadpanned. 

"We have a suspect... well...three." He smirked. "All of them have really good alibis. I just texted FP that you guys were here, he's coming."

"Good. Lead the way." I said, hope swelling up in my chest. He lead us through Foxforrest, grunts and cries erupting the closer we got. There, Fangs and Reaper were beating up the three leads. There were two men and on girl. I recognized one of the faces through all the blood and bruising. Something was telling me this was our guy, but I still wasn't sure. I grabbed a fistful of the man's hair and yanked him upward. "Chic, what are you doing back?" I growled.

"It's not illegal to come back. Greendale got boring, I wanted to come back!" He sputtered, blood trailing from his mouth. He spit up a big loogie onto the grass and smiled, his teeth covered in a substantial amount of blood. I punched him and went to interrogate the others. They didn't seem so particular to me, so I let them go. "Can I go now, too?!"

I turned to the blue eyed impersonator. "No, you're going with FP. Fangs, Sweetpea, tie him to the tree and call Jughead."

"Damn, Cheryl. When did you get so bossy?" Fangs laughed. Sweetpea chuckled and picked up Chic. 

"Shove it before I tie you to the tree also." They both gulped and continued to tie him to the large tree. Smiling, I turned to my girlfriend and kissed her softly. "We're gonna find her."

"I know. You put them in their place. I love you." She smiled, cupping my cheeks, pulling me to her.

We broke apart, I lay my head on hers. "I love you more." 

"Ahem. He's tied up, can we hurry." Sweetpea groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. Blushing, we all left for our bikes. I stopped when I saw a white envelope laying on the seat. I picked it up and called for the others. "What is it?" Pea asked.

"A letter." I read it out loud. 

_It's nice to finally meet you, Serpent's. I guess you all have dubbed me as the Masquerade Master. Why? I don't know. But I'm here to level out the town. It's too crowded. No, I wouldn't ever commit mass genocide, I have morals. Yet, I WILL do something very similar. And to confirm you thoughts, yes, I did hire men to hijack the Lodge girl's plane, ultimately causing her demise. Yes, I did run the Jones family off the road, leaving Betty in a month long coma and Forsythe with a shattered spine. Yes, I did murder Chuck Clayton. He was a bad father, and his daughter was annoying. And, FOR THE GRAND FINALE! YES! I have Juliet. You need to play by my rules to find and get her back. So, here's your first clue. 'Head to the place, where they keep lot's of mace, and metal cells for the convicted.' It's an easy first round, but they get harder as you go along. So head to grab clue two, I'll be watching..._

_~M.M._

"Good god he's psycho." Toni sighed. "That's obviously the sheriff's station, come on!" 

"What about FP?" I asked. 

"I'll call him, tell him to say there." Fangs said, pulling out his phone. I slipped the letter into my pocket and revved up my bike. 

We arrived at the station around ten minutes later. FP was waiting outside for us. "Hey, kids. I was about to call you before Fangs did, but there's a letter on my desk. There's also a phone." 

I grabbed the letter and began to read it out loud. 

**(Warning: Mentions of rape and child abuse next. If you don't want to read that then just look for the end warning.)**

_Congrats, you're all decently smart. I'm somewhere, hot, sweaty, and bored. I'm ready for you to continue on. Click play on the video for clue two! HAHAHAHAHA!_

Hesitantly, I clicked play on the video. 

"Where's my mommy? I want daddy. Don't hurt me again just let me go!" My heart broke in two. A tear slipped from FP's eye. There, bright as day, was little Juliet, naked, bruised, and bloody. She looked mutilated. 

"Stop fighting it. You aren't getting out until your precious 'Serpent's' find you. Now shut up, you annoying little bitch."

"Oh no he didn't." Toni shouted. 

"Hold still." He grunted. Juliet screamed and I turned away. 

"Please not again! Help! Help me!" She let out blood curdling screams and cries. I skipped to the end of the video. The man in the mask just defiled my niece. I'm gonna kill him. 

 **(Sorry bout that, it's over now.)**  

The man in the mask turned towards the camera as he stepped away from Juliet. "Here's clue two. Take a look around. It's grey, and hot, and underground. Teens screw all over the place, but they do it in the base. So continue on down route 32, there's a hole in the ground calling for you. If you aren't here in an hour this knife goes deeper into her stomach." 

Before I could process what was going on, the masked man plunged a knife into Juliet's stomach. "God, please stop!" Blood came pouring from her mouth. Everyone in the room was crying. My vision completely glossed over when the brought the camera to show her body. She looked dead. She's just a kid, stop hurting her!

"What are y'all waiting for?! Let's go!" We all turned around, Jughead standing in the doorway. 

"Jug, you shouldn't be here, you have to be resting." FP said worriedly. 

"Dad, I'm fine. This guy raped, mutilated, and kidnapped my daughter. I'm gonna kill him. Just like I did with Hal." He grunted and went to grabbed the phone. He looked at his daughter, yelled, and threw it at the wall, destroying it. "Let's go to route 32."

 

 **Jughead POV** **:**  

 

My back was feeling better everyday these last few months since the accident. I told Betty I was leaving to find our baby girl, she cried and told me to kill the man. We drove down route 32, heading towards the one place I thought he could have been talking about. The bunker. We stopped at the usual place and ran to the entrance. After getting it open, we all climbed down the latter and inside. We weren't expecting what we saw...or didn't see. There was blood, so much of it, and a red balloon. But there was no Juliet. "God damnit!" I threw my beanie against the wall and watched it fall into a pool of Juliet's blood. "What's in the balloon?"

Cheryl popped it open and a scroll fell out. I unraveled it and began to read aloud. 

_Fooled ya! HAHAHA! Yes, well at least congratulations on finding the correct location. But did you really think I was stupid enough to let her go so soon. Also, the blade of the knife broke off into her somewhere so WHOOPSIES! Final destination. I swear, she will be here. Now, dead or alive, that's for you to decide. Here's your final clue. Along the banks, this man once stood, nine years ago. Tried to drop the babe into the river, but he was killed for good. Now she lay, dying by the bay, waiting on her daddy's beckoning call. Good luck... Serpent's._

"Go to the cliff off Sweetwater River! Now!" I yelled. We all climbed out from the bunker. I looked back at my beanie and shut my eyes. Maybe another day, I'll come back for it. We rode as fast as we could. Once we finally came to the cliff, Fangs, Toni, and I ran up the hill. The waves were crashing below us. There, right on the edge, lay my daughter, damaged beyond reproach. "Juliet..." I ran to her body and held her in my arms. I couldn't hold back the tears as I looked her over. She was bruised head to toe, looked as if she had almost every bone broken. She had blood seeping from every crevice in her body, and she had a knife blade stuck in her abdomen. Not to mention, the fucker that raped her isn't here. "Fangs, Toni, go check the forest for the bastard!" I shakily pulled out my phone. "Dad. Yeah, I found her. It's bad, dad. Bring a blanket and Pea. Brace yourself, you're gonna be ready for murder once you see her." I hung up and held her close to me. "I'm so sorry..." 

"Jug! Oh my god... no." Dad came running up, Sweetpea in tow with a large blanket. "Hurry up, get her into the truck. The ambulance isn't gonna get here quick enough." Sweetpea came running over with the blanket. I took it and wrapped it around Juliet's body. Picking her up carefully, I cradled her in my arms and began to slowly walk to the truck. 

As we drove, I refused to let go of her. Her blood was soaking through my shirt and her eyes were rolled to the back of her head. I tried as much as I could to wake her up, but she wouldn't budge. "Dad, how far out are we?!" 

"We're here, now, boy! Let's go!" 

We all filed out of the truck and into the hospital. "Help! My daughter! Please!" I called out. Some doctors and nurses rushed over with a gurney. They all held shocked expressions and sorrowful eyes. They wheeled her away and I stood in the hall, her blood dripping from my clothes. "I need to see Betty." 

I began to walk down the hall when my dad and Cheryl caught up to me. "Not like this. Stay here, I'll get you clothes." She sighed, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. 

"She's gonna be okay, son." 

After a while, Cheryl came back with a small bag of clothes and some coffee. "Thank you, Cheryl." I sighed gratefully.

"Any news?" She asked, starting to hand out coffee to the line of Serpents.

"None yet. I'm still waiting for Toni and Fangs to get back."

"Don't worry, we're here." Toni shouted from the door. She looked awful. So did Fangs. Granted, they have been chasing down this murderer all night.

"Babe, oh my god! Did you get him?" Cheryl asked, running a comforting hand across Toni's back.

"No! We had him! Saw him even! But it was as if he was a ghost. He was just...gone."

My heart sunk. He got away. I'll be damned if I let him get away with doing that to my baby girl. He killed my friends, tried to kill my family, defiled and mutilated my daughter. I'm gonna kill him. 

"Juliet Jones." A doctor called out. I immediately ran to the front and grabbed the doctor's shoulders.

"How is she?" I asked, pain in my eyes.

"Well, the surgery was successful. That's the good news. We managed to remove the blade from her abdomen, stitch up her cuts and put casts on her bones. The blade ruptured a lung, but as if god sent it from above, we had a donor available just in time. It's a miracle." 

I couldn't help the smile that fell on my face. Without thought, I pulled the doctor in for a hug as tears rolled down my cheeks. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" 

He patted my back and sighed. "There is some bad news, though." My smile fell. "She will have to stay here for a while, we have to make sure that the new lung is working properly and that it doesn't go to waste. There's also no doubt in my mind that she will have major PTSD from this event. We'll provide her with therapy sessions about three times a week, but you're gonna have to learn her triggers. If she wants to be alone, respect that." 

"Okay, Dr. Thank you so much. Is she awake?" I asked. 

"She is. Shall we visit your wife first to let her know of everything?"

"Oh my god, yes please."

My giant grin was back as I walked into Betty's room. I told her everything, the good and the bad. She cried tears of joy and pain. She didn't know it was that bad, but she was happy she was safe again. 

"It's a miracle! Doctor, could I possibly go see her as well?" Betty asked. 

"Well, you would have to be in a wheelchair but I don't see why not." He smiled. 

The nurses helped Betty into a wheelchair and we headed towards the children's ward. Walking into Juliet's room, Betty gripped at my hand. She was shaking, same for me. We approached her bed, tears pricking our eyes. "Mommy, daddy?" She whispered from the little ball she was in.

"Hi baby." Betty choked, reaching her hand out for hers.

"I was so scared!" She sat up a little too fast, laying back down, crying out in pain. I raced to her bedside and embraced her gently. "Daddy, i've missed you so much. I'm so scared!" 

"I know, peanut, I know." I cried, my hands tangled in her long black locks. 

"Mommy, are you gonna be okay? Will Oliver be okay?" 

"I'm gonna be fine, it will take awhile. And Ollie will be okay. He should have died in the crash, but God saved his life. Just like he saved my life, daddy's life, and your life." 

"Who gave me my lungs?" Juliet asked, wiping away her tears, her body wrapped up in a blanket Archie bought her.

"Let me ask the doctor, baby. Get some rest, you're safe now." I kissed her and Betty's foreheads as I left the room. I ran up to the Dr. "Hey, doc! I just wanted to know what you could tell me about the donor. Juliet wants to know."

"I can't really disclose that sort of information, but what I can tell you is that you know her. Your wife especially."

"Please, Dr. I won't say a thing, besides to Betty and Juliet." I asked. He breathed a heavy sigh. "Pleeeeaaaassseeee....."

"Okay, fine. The lungs are from Betty's mother, Alice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn these last few chapter really makes you think back to book one, huh? If you don't understand something, then go read my first book, Betty Cooper: 16 and Pregnant. Everything's there. And guys! Let's be happy! The baby is gonna be fine! Juliet was found! Also we're still a ways away from revealing the identity of the Masquerade Master, so leave your theories and comments below. But, in the meantime, if you enjoyed this chapter then please leave Kudos and comment so I can continue. Alrighty, bye guys!!


	8. Help

_"Who gave me my lungs?" Juliet asked, wiping away her tears, her body wrapped up in a blanket Archie bought her._

_"Let me ask the doctor, baby. Get some rest, you're safe now." I kissed her and Betty's foreheads as I left the room. I ran up to the Dr. "Hey, doc! I just wanted to know what you could tell me about the donor. Juliet wants to know."_

_"I can't really disclose that sort of information, but what I can tell you is that you know her. Your wife especially."_

_"Please, Dr. I won't say a thing, besides to Betty and Juliet." I asked. He breathed a heavy sigh. "Pleeeeaaaassseeee....."_

_"Okay, fine. The lungs are from Betty's mother, Alice."_

* * *

 

**Betty POV:**

_ (2 Months Later) _

 

 I've finally been cleared to leave the hospital. After four months (two I didn't even know occurred), and watching your family go through the trials and tribulations of losing those of which you love. I've lost so much, I've missed so much. Juliet has been extremely depressed since the night everything went to shit with our family. She's being cleared to leave at the end of the week. She's more excited then she has been about getting back to us, she hates being cooped up in a hospital bed all day. 

I climb out of my hospital bed and move to the bag of clothes Juggie brought me. I pulled out some black leggings and one of his hoodies. After brushing my hair and applying some light makeup, I began to make my way to Juliet's room. Oliver has been kicking like crazy these last few days and it's been really hurting my bruises, but at least I know he's safe and okay. It's still a miracle to me that he survived, AND that we were able to get lungs for my little girl in the nick of time. God truly has blessed our family.

I rounded the corner to Juliet's room, walking through the door. She was laying in her bed, her teddy bear in her arms, her blanket from Archie wrapped around her. Jug was laying in the bed next to her side. They were watching some sort of action movie that I would never understand, so I sat down and watched them instead. It was quiet, they surprisingly haven't even noticed me yet. Suddenly, baby Ollie decided to ninja-kick me in the stomach. "Ow!" I moaned a little loudly. Jug looked up and smiled.

"He kicking like crazy again?" He chuckled. 

"Yes, and it's painful. Scoot over, I'm comin' in!" I laughed. 

Juliet smiled sadly while Jug readjusted the blanket to fit us all. "Mommy, can I talk to Oliver again?" Juliet asked, putting her small hands on my belly.

"Baby, you can talk to him WHENEVER you want." I smiled and lifted up my shirt.

She pressed her face against my full term bump. "Ollie, you have to be more gentle with Mommy, she's still hurting from the bad man in the stupid mask." I frowned, but chuckled at how she called the man's mask 'Stupid'.

Jughead looked at me, a sad look on his face. Our girl never deserved this. She has panic attacks several times a night, she can't sleep without one of us with her, she barely eats, she doesn't talk to Calliope anymore, and she's always worried that the man is hiding in the closet or under the bed to hurt her. It's tiring, but I'd do anything for my little girl. Same with Jughead. Everyday, he an the Serpents are out looking for the Masquerade Master. But every time they get close to finding him, he's gone. Some people have began to dub him as 'Ghost', which honestly is much easier than 'Masquerade Master'. But that's not the point. The point is that he's always gone. 

"Mommy and daddy are scared, so am I. We need you to come now, it will calm everyone down. Please, Ollie? Please be here soon?" She kissed my belly, a tear fell from my eye. Jug held my head on his shoulder as he rubbed my arm. Juliet came back into our arms. "How much longer until the bad man is caught?"

I sighed. "I don't know, peanut. I really don't. But, think on the bright side. Now that we know the lengths this man will go to hurt people, daddy and the Serpents can better know what to do to protect people. Even Grandpa Jones." I smiled at Jug. He kissed both mine and Juliet's heads. 

"I will always protect you, baby. I'm gonna protect all of you." He shakily sighed, hugging Juliet and I (and Oliver) to him. The door opened a while later, a nurse walking in.

"Doctor told me I'd find you here. You're free to go." She smiled and brought in a wheelchair. 

I sat down as Jug grabbed the handles, ready to take me home. "I'll be back later tonight, peanut. Uncle Archie is gonna come watch you until then, okay?" Jug sighed, kissing her forehead lightly. "Let's go home, baby."

The drive back to the house was peaceful. We sat in silence as I watched the grass rustle in the wind, the sun beginning to set, creating a cascade of pinks and yellows across the sky. We pulled into the parking lot of Pop's and got out. We walked in and Pop Tate immediately rushed to my side. 

"Betty, oh I was so worried." He hugged me lightly, then placed a hand softly on my belly. "How is this guy doing?" 

"Kicking everyday. I'm officially overdue. Juliet misses you by the way." I smiled sadly and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"How is she?" 

"She's getting released towards the end of the week so that's good! But her mental state is just... gone."

"I'm sorry, Betty. I know how hard this must be. Speaking of, I was planning on telling you guys after Juliet was home, but I don't want to wait any longer." He noticed the confusion of mine and Jug's faces. "I put together a fundraiser for you family. Now I know that you are financially set and can pay the bills, but this is especially for Juliet, and her future, college education, or whatever she wants to do with it."

He handed me an envelope. I pulled out a slip of paper, a check. $100,000 dollars. "Pop, we can't accept this, it's too much."

"No, kids, that money is your's... well, Juliet's. I insist, everyone in this town does." I smiled and hugged him, kissing his cheek. 

"Thank you, Pop." A tear slipped from my eye.

"Pop, you are without a doubt, always have been, always will be, part of our family. I think Juliet would like for you to see her sometime before she leaves. She does talk about how once she's out, she's going back to serving and making tips. She appreciates you Pop, just as much as we do. Thank you." Jug had tears running down his face as he talked. He went in for a hug and placed a hand on my belly. Wiping away his tears, he chuckled and went to the counter to order. "We'll have the usual to go, Pop. Betty needs to get to bed and rest."

"Coming right up." He smiled and went to get our food. 

Once it was done, we grabbed it, payed, then left to finally head home. I managed to somehow fall asleep in the car, even though the drive was only five minutes. "Baby, we're home." He nudged me softly and took my hand. 

"I can't believe what Pop did for us is real." I smiled. Jughead kissed my lips, grabbed the food, and went to open my door. Oliver began to kick uncontrollably. "Baby, he's doing it again!" I groaned in pain as Jug put the food down, kneeling to talk to our baby. 

"Ollie, you have to calm down. You can't stress mommy, okay? I'll sing to you inside, but you have to stop." He kissed my belly, and with one final kick, Oliver calmed down. 

"Once again, you have proven to be the best parent." I smiled and cupped his cheek. "Now help me up the stairs." He laughed, grabbed my waist and the food, and began to help me in the house. 

Once I was situated in bed, a tray in my lap with my burger and milkshake, Jughead came in, plopping down next to me. "Archie just called, he just pulled up to the hospital. I also put the check into Juliet's box." 

"Good." I yawned. "Good god, I'm tired. Juggie, can you please put this in the fridge for me, I'm really not feeling that well."

"Of course, Betts. Do you want any Tylenol? A ginger ale?" He asked, placing a hand on my forehead.

"No, I just want sleep. You still have a while until Juliet's gonna want you so please just stay with me for right now."

"How can I say no, you look so comfy." He chuckled and left to put the food away. He came back up and into the bed with me. "Now, I think I promised our son a song."

"Do it." I smiled tiredly as he lifted up my sweatshirt.

"Warm summer sun, shine kindly here. Warm Southern wind, blow softly here. Green sod above, lie light, lie light. Goodnight dear heart, goodnight, goodnight. Ooooooooooooooooo." He kissed my belly. "Night, Ollie." Jug was an amazing singer, always sang that lullaby to calm Oliver down, or even just because. 

"Goodnight, Juggie." I yawned, curling into his arms.

"Goodnight, Betts."

 

**Archie POV:**

 

"Juliet, your favorite uncle has arrived!" I didn't hear anything. Looking around the room, I began to hear little pants coming from the closet. Opening the door, I found Juliet curled up in a ball on the floor, rocking back and forth. "Juliet, you're okay, it's okay." I soothed, she climbed into my lap and cried. 

"It's late, I thought I would be alone!" She chocked out. My heart broke. _She thought I was gonna leave her?_

"Jules, no way was I gonna leave you. There was really bad traffic, but I'm here now. Also..." I laid her down in the bed, pulling he blanket I got her to her nose. "I wanted to tell YOU something before everyone else."

It was big news. I'm hoping this can help me to move on finally from Veronica's death, or at least help me cope. 

"Tell me! Tell me!" She was so giddy, it made me happy. I was so ready to see that face everyday.

"How would you like it if I moved back here? For good." I smiled as she climbed into my arms.

"YES DO IT!" 

"I already put a down payment on an apartment. I'm gonna have to leave in about a week for New York so I can get my stuff, but I'm here to stay."

"BEST. DAY. EVER!!!!"

"What is all that screaming?" A confused Jughead walked into the room, a bag of Pop's in his hand. 

"Uncle Archie is moving back here!" Juliet said, her head pressed onto mine.

"Archie, is she serious?!" A smile began to grow on his face.

"Well now, why would I lie to my favorite niece?" 

"Oh-oh my god! Dude come here!" He pulled me into a tight hug and clapped my back. "I would help you pack but Betty is due any day now."

"It's cool, I'm gonna ask Kev and Moose later to help. But as far as everyone is aware, I'll be completely moved in by the end of next week."

"Dude, I'm ecstatic. Betty is gonna be so happy." He smiled as he climbed into bed with Juliet.

"Do you think we could have everyone over your place tomorrow? Then I can tell them all at once?" I asked, my hand scratching my head. I stole a fry, laughing at Juliet's shocked expression.

"Yea, for sure. I'll be here with Juliet so she won't be alone, but everyone else, I can get them to come. Don't worry bud. This is amazing news."

"Great. That's great." I gathered my things and kissed Juliet's head. Waving bye, I walked to my car. It had been a long night and all I wanted to do was go to my hotel and sleep. And sleep I got.

 

**Jughead POV:**

 

"Peanut, are you excited?" I asked. She lay next to me, her mouth full of burger.

"YES!" 

"Good, baby. I'm happy." I've been meaning to talk to Juliet for a while about her mom, and the baby. I'm scared she'll resent me for bringing it up. I drew a deep breath. "So baby, I've been meaning to talk to you. So you know how mommy is really close to having baby Ollie?" She nodded her head yes eagerly. "Well, when that does happen, I'm gonna have to sleep with her and the baby."

Her face dropped into a sad frown. "Daddy, no! Please no! I need you with me!"

A tear fell from my eye. "I'm sorry baby. I can always get your Aunt Cheryl or Toni to stay here with you. But I think it's time for you to start sleeping on your own."

"Daddy, I can't! It's too hard, too scary. You can't leave me, please daddy!" She had tears falling rapidly down her eyes as she began to rock back and forth. She was hyperventilating, and on the brink of passing out.

"Juliet, you have to calm down." I hugged her tightly as we cried. She began to calm down. "Are you okay?"

"I will be. Can you maybe Facetime me? Maybe that would work?"

"That's a great idea, peanut." 

"Please hand me that burger, dad." I laughed and handed her the giant sandwich. Pop is gonna come in tomorrow to surprise Juliet with milkshakes and fries. She's gonna be so excited. 

"Is it good?" 

She shot me a cheesy grin..... literally. "The best, thanks daddy."

"No problem, baby." My phone began to buzz. It was Betty. "Mommy's on the phone, let's put her on speaker." She looked at me excited, quickly downing the rest of her burger. "Hey, baby. What's up?"

"Hi mommy!!" She yelled through the phone.

She was breathing heavily. "H-hey guys. Jug-gie, you need to get here.... now! My water just b-broke!" She was crying out in pain. Fear flooded through me as I raced out of the room, not forgetting to kiss Juliet and promising her a facetime call. I got a nurse to stay in her room and ran to my bike. 

Our baby was coming... Ollie was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the time jump... and the short chapter, but hey Betty's finally giving birth! I thought it would be nice to have a wholesome, nice, family episode with just a tad of sad, ya know? Also if you're wondering about Betty's mindset about her mom donating the lung, that will be addressed later in the story. Betty hates her mom and it was a two month time jump so I didn't want to include her talking about it in the chapter. And I promise, there will be more Choni soon. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that this is a Choni story. There will be more Bughead in my next book about Juliet, where she's a teenager. So don't worry, it's coming! But anyways, if you enjoyed this chapter then please leave Kudos and comment so I can continue. Alrighty, bye guys!!

**Author's Note:**

> Yay!! I honestly adored that proposal. So In the next chapter, the whole gang will come back from New York, except for Betty and Jughead. They moved back to Riverdale after getting married. If you enjoyed this chapter then please leave Kudos and comment so I can continue. Alrighty, bye guys!!


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